English as a Second Language and

English Literacy Development

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Ministry of Education

The Ontario CurriculumGrades 9 to 12 R E V I S E D

INTRODUCTION 3Secondary Schools for the Twenty-first Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The Importance of English as a Second Language (ESL) and English Literacy Development (ELD) in the Curriculum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The Goals of the ESL and ELD Curriculum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

English Language Learners in Ontario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Programs to Support English Language Learners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Roles and Responsibilities in ESL and ELD Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Factors in Successful English Language Acquisition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

THE PROGRAM IN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE AND ENGLISH LITERACY DEVELOPMENT 12

Overview of the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Curriculum Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Strands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Adapting ESL or ELD Courses for Students Who Speak a Variety of English . . . . . . . . 21

Procedures for Placing English Language Learners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Transition From Elementary to Secondary School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Transition to Mainstream English Courses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Integration of Students Into Mainstream Subject Classrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Program Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT 31

Basic Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

The Achievement Chart for ESL and ELD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Evaluation and Reporting of Student Achievement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Reporting on Demonstrated Learning Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

CONTENTS

This publication is available on the Ministry of Education’swebsite, at www.edu.gov.on.ca.

SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN ESL AND ELD 38

Instructional Approaches and Teaching Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Planning ESL and ELD Programs for Students With Special Education Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Antidiscrimination Education in Programs for English Language Learners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Literacy, Mathematical Literacy, and Inquiry/Research Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

The Role of the School Library in ESL and ELD Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

The Role of Technology in ESL and ELD Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Career Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Cooperative Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

The Ontario Skills Passport and Essential Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Health and Safety in ESL and ELD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

COURSES 57English as a Second Language, ESL Level 1, Open (ESLAO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

English as a Second Language, ESL Level 2, Open (ESLBO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

English as a Second Language, ESL Level 3, Open (ESLCO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

English as a Second Language, ESL Level 4, Open (ESLDO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

English as a Second Language, ESL Level 5, Open (ESLEO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

English Literacy Development, ELD Level 1, Open (ELDAO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

English Literacy Development, ELD Level 2, Open (ELDBO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

English Literacy Development, ELD Level 3, Open (ELDCO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

English Literacy Development, ELD Level 4, Open (ELDDO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

English Literacy Development, ELD Level 5, Open (ELDEO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

GLOSSARY 175

INTRODUCTION

This document replaces The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12: English as a Second Languageand English Literacy Development, 1999. Beginning in September 2007, all courses in Englishas a Second Language (ESL) and English Literacy Development (ELD) for Grades 9 to 12will be based on the expectations outlined in this document.

SECONDARY SCHOOLS FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURYThe goal of Ontario secondary schools is to support high-quality learning while givingindividual students the opportunity to choose programs that suit their skills and interests.The updated Ontario curriculum, in combination with a broader range of learningoptions outside traditional classroom instruction, will enable students to better customizetheir high school education and improve their prospects for success in school and in life.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) AND ENGLISH LITERACY DEVELOPMENT (ELD) IN THE CURRICULUMOntario secondary schools are now home to students who speak more than 100 differentlanguages, including several Aboriginal languages, many African, Asian, and Europeanlanguages, or an English-related creole language (such as Caribbean Creole or WestAfrican Krio). Ontario’s increasing linguistic and cultural diversity provides studentswith many opportunities for cultural enrichment and for learning that is global in scope.

At the same time, however, this diversity means that a significant and growing proportionof Ontario students arrive in English-language schools as English language learners –that is, students who are learning the language of instruction at the same time as theyare learning the curriculum. The curriculum in English as a Second Language andEnglish Literacy Development for Grades 9 to 12 has been developed to ensure thatEnglish language learners have the maximum opportunity to become proficient inEnglish and achieve the high levels of literacy that are expected of all Ontario students.

THE GOALS OF THE ESL AND ELD CURRICULUMThe ESL and ELD curriculum is based on the belief that broad proficiency in English isessential to students’ success in both their social and academic lives, and to their abilityto take their place in society as responsible and productive citizens. The curriculum isdesigned to provide English language learners with the knowledge and skills they need

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to achieve these goals. Its aim is to help students become successful English languagelearners who can:

use English to communicate effectively in a variety of social settings;

use English to achieve academically in all subject areas;

take charge of their own learning, independently and in groups;

select and use effective learning strategies;

integrate confidently into mainstream courses;

use English effectively to advocate for themselves in all areas of their lives;

make a successful transition to their chosen postsecondary destination (work,apprenticeship, college, university);

function effectively in a society increasingly committed to the use of informationtechnology;

use critical-literacy and critical-thinking skills to interpret the world around them;

participate fully in the social, economic, political, and cultural life of their communities and of Canada.

This culminating vision of successful English language learners identifies the languageskills and capabilities required for success in Ontario’s education system and for fullparticipation in Canadian society. The expectations outlined in the ESL and ELD curri-culum are designed to enable students to develop these important skills and capabilities.

For many English language learners, achievement of the expectations may require themto adopt new ways of learning and new ways of interacting with others. However, growthtowards full linguistic and cultural competence in English should not be at the expenseof students’ own languages and cultures. A major goal of any instructional program forEnglish language learners should be to encourage students to value and maintain theirown linguistic and cultural identities so that they can enter the larger society as bilingualand bicultural individuals. Such young people are able to choose language and culturalnorms that are appropriate in any given situation or cultural context, and can fully par-ticipate in and contribute to our multilingual, multicultural Canadian society.

The ESL and ELD curriculum expectations are designed to help English language learnersdevelop the skills they need to develop proficiency in everyday English and, most espe-cially, the proficiency in academic English that will allow them to integrate successfullyinto the mainstream school program. It is important to recognize that while English lan-guage learners are in the process of acquiring academic language, their age peers are notstanding still in their learning of grade-appropriate language and concepts. In effect,English language learners must catch up with a moving target. Thus, an effective curricu-lum for English language learners integrates academic language and literacy skills withsubject-matter concepts and critical-thinking skills from the very beginning levels ofinstruction, so that students can gain as much momentum as possible as they progress to full participation in mainstream classes in the various subjects.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN ONTARIOEnglish language learners are students in provincially funded English-language schoolswhose first language is a language other than English, or is a variety of English that issignificantly different from the variety used for instruction in Ontario’s schools, and who may require focused educational support to assist them in attaining proficiency in English. They may be Canadian-born or recently arrived from other countries. Theycome from diverse backgrounds and school experiences, and have a variety of strengthsand needs.

Newcomers to Ontario. Newcomers to Ontario from countries around the world mayarrive at any point between Grade 9 and Grade 12. They may enter school at the begin-ning of the school year or at any time during the year. The level of support newcomersrequire to succeed in the classroom will depend on their age, country of origin, and pre-vious educational experience. Some newcomers arrive in Canada with their families aspart of a voluntary, planned immigration process. These students have usually receivedformal education in their countries of origin, and some may have studied English as a foreign language. Some newcomers arrive in Canada under more urgent conditions: forexample, fleeing crises in their homelands. These young people have often suffered trau-matic experiences, and some may have been separated from family members. They mayhave been in transit for a few years, and they may or may not have had access to formaleducation in their homeland or while in transit.

International or Visa Students. International or visa students are usually of secondaryschool age, although some may arrive earlier. They pay fees to attend school in Ontario,and often plan to attend a Canadian college or university. These students typically arrivein Canada without their families. They may live with older siblings, with members of theextended family, or under the care of a guardian or home-stay program; older studentsmay live alone. Many have had some instruction in English; nevertheless, they often needconsiderable support to develop the level of English proficiency required for success inOntario schools.

Canadian-Born Students. Most English language learners entering secondary school are newcomers from other countries; however, others are Canadian-born, such as the following:

learners returning from a prolonged stay in another country where they receivededucation in a language other than English;

learners from Aboriginal communities who speak a first language other thanEnglish;

learners from communities that have maintained distinct cultural and linguistictraditions who choose to enter English-language schools and who have a first lan-guage other than English.

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Students With Limited Prior Schooling. Although all countries have schools that offer anexcellent education, some English language learners have not had access to such schoolsfor economic, political, ideological, or geographic reasons. The following are some reasonswhy some English language learners may have had limited opportunities for education:

Some countries invest most of their resources in a small percentage of “top” students,who may be selected through examinations for entrance to schools offering high-quality educational programs. Other students, including many of high potential,may not have this kind of opportunity.

In some countries only those parents who can afford school fees can ensure a high-quality education for their children. Children in rural areas may have to travellong distances, often on foot, to get to school, and roads may be impassable atsome times of the year. In some countries, education has been severely disruptedor even suspended completely during periods of war or civil conflict. In somecountries, gender, social class, religion, or ideology may limit access to schooling.

Some children may have spent several years in transit before arriving in Canada,and may have had little or no access to schooling during that time.

PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERSSecondary school ESL and ELD programs are generally intended to support newcomers.For their first few years in Ontario schools, many English language learners receive support in one of the following two distinct programs designed to meet their languagelearning needs and/or to help them develop the literacy skills they need in order to continue their education and participate fully in life in Ontario:

English as a Second Language (ESL) programs are intended for students whose firstlanguage is a language other than English or is a variety of English significantlydifferent from that used for instruction in Ontario schools. Students in these programs have age-appropriate first-language literacy skills and educational backgrounds.

English Literacy Development (ELD) programs are intended for students whosefirst language is a language other than English or is a variety of English signifi-cantly different from that used for instruction in Ontario schools. Students in theseprograms are most often from countries in which their access to education hasbeen limited, so that they have had limited opportunities to develop language and literacy skills in any language. Schooling in their countries of origin has beeninconsistent, disrupted, or even completely unavailable throughout the years thatthese children would otherwise have been in school. As a result, they arrive inOntario secondary schools with significant gaps in their education.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN ESL AND ELD PROGRAMSCreating a welcoming and inclusive school environment for English language learners isa whole-school activity requiring the commitment of administrators, teachers, supportstaff, and other leaders within the school community. The reward for this committedeffort is a dynamic and vibrant school environment that celebrates diversity as an assetand enriches the learning experience of all students.

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StudentsStudents have many responsibilities with regard to their learning. Students who are ableto make the effort required to succeed in school and who are able to apply themselveswill soon discover that there is a direct relationship between this effort and their achieve-ment, and will therefore be more motivated to work. There will be some students, how-ever, who will find it more difficult to take responsibility for their learning because ofspecial challenges they face. The attention, patience, and encouragement of teachers canbe extremely important to these students’ success. However, taking responsibility fortheir own progress and learning is an important part of education for all students,regardless of their circumstances.

Mastery of concepts and skills in the ESL and ELD curriculum requires a sincere commit-ment to work, study, and the development of appropriate skills. Furthermore, studentsshould be encouraged to actively pursue opportunities outside the classroom to extendtheir proficiency in English and enrich their understanding of the language. Their mas-tery of English will grow as they engage in real-world activities that involve listening,speaking, reading, and writing in English. Students develop their English literacy skillswhen they seek out recreational reading materials and multimedia works that relate totheir personal interests and to the various subject areas, and when they engage in con-versation with parents, peers, and teachers about what they are reading, writing, andthinking in their daily lives. As well, it is important to encourage students to maintaintheir first-language skills, as their bilingual and bicultural orientation has the potential to be a lifelong asset both to themselves and to Canadian society.

ParentsParents1 have an important role to play in supporting student learning. Studies showthat students perform better in school if their parents are involved in their education. Bybecoming familiar with the curriculum, parents can determine what is being taught inthe courses their children are taking and what their children are expected to learn. Thisawareness will enhance the ability of parents to discuss their children’s work with them,to communicate with teachers, and to ask relevant questions about their children’sprogress. Knowledge of the expectations in the various courses also helps parents tointerpret teachers’ comments on student progress and to work with teachers to improvestudent learning.

Other effective ways in which parents can support their children’s learning includeattending parent-teacher interviews, participating in parent workshops, becominginvolved in school council activities (including becoming a school council member), supporting their children in completing their assignments at home, and encouragingtheir children to maintain active use of the home language.

The ESL and ELD curriculum promotes awareness of the wider community. In additionto supporting regular school activities, parents can encourage their children to take anactive interest in current affairs and provide them with opportunities to question andreflect on what is happening in the world.

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TION1. In this document, parent(s) is used to mean parent(s) and guardian(s).

TeachersTeachers and students have complementary responsibilities. Teachers are responsible fordeveloping appropriate instructional strategies to help students achieve the curriculumexpectations for their courses, as well as for developing appropriate methods for assess-ing and evaluating student learning. Teachers bring enthusiasm and varied teaching andassessment approaches to the classroom, addressing individual student needs andensuring sound learning opportunities for every student.

Using a variety of instructional, assessment, and evaluation strategies, teachers providenumerous opportunities for students to acquire proficiency in English, as well as subjectcontent knowledge. They provide learners with frequent opportunities to practise andapply new learning and, through regular and varied assessment, give them the specificfeedback they need to further develop and refine their skills. By assigning tasks that promote the development of higher-order thinking skills, teachers enable students tobecome thoughtful and effective communicators in English. In addition, teachers encour-age students to think out loud about their own language processes, and support them in developing the language and techniques they need to assess their own learning.Opportunities to relate knowledge and skills in English language learning to wider con-texts, both across the curriculum and in the world beyond the school, motivate studentsto learn and to become lifelong learners.

ESL/ELD teachers, mainstream subject teachers, teacher-librarians, special educationteachers, and guidance teachers must all work together, within the provisions outlinedin all secondary school curriculum documents, to support English language learners, tohelp them integrate successfully into the academic and social life of the school, and tohelp them learn about postsecondary pathways and destinations.

Principals The principal works in partnership with teachers and parents to ensure that each studenthas access to the best possible educational experience. To support student learning, prin-cipals ensure that the Ontario curriculum is being properly implemented in all classroomsthrough the use of a variety of instructional approaches. They also ensure that appropriateresources are made available for teachers and students. To enhance teaching and learningin all subjects, including ESL and ELD, principals promote learning teams and work withteachers to facilitate teacher participation in professional-development activities.

Principals ensure that schools have in place procedures and practices for welcomingEnglish language learners and their families, and that schools present an inclusive andwelcoming environment for all students. As well, principals ensure that all subject teachers incorporate appropriate adaptations and strategies into their instruction andassessment to facilitate the success of the English language learners in their classrooms.

Principals are also responsible for ensuring that every student who has an IndividualEducation Plan (IEP) is receiving the modifications and/or accommodations described in his or her plan – in other words, for ensuring that the IEP is properly developed,implemented, and monitored.

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Community Partners Community partners can be an important resource in students’ language development.They can provide support for students with literacy needs, both in the classroom and asliving models of how the curriculum relates to life beyond school. Such modelling andmentoring can enrich not only the educational experience of students but also the life ofthe community.

Schools and school boards can play a role by coordinating efforts with community part-ners. They can involve community volunteers in supporting language instruction and in promoting a focus on literacy in and outside the school. Community partners can beincluded in literacy events held in the school, and school boards can collaborate withleaders of existing community-based literacy programs for youth, including programsoffered in public libraries and community centres. Partnerships with local settlementagencies and ethnocultural organizations are also a valuable resource for both educatorsand English language learners and their families.

FACTORS IN SUCCESSFUL ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITIONResearch studies show that it takes five or more years for most English language learnersto catch up to age peers in using English for academic purposes, although some willaccomplish this earlier, and some will need much longer. Most English language learnersare able to function effectively and confidently in everyday language situations within ayear or two. For example, they can follow classroom directions and maintain simple con-versations about familiar topics and routines. During this time they also acquire a basicvocabulary of high-frequency words and phrases (such as friend, hungry,“Say it again,please.”). However, it can take much longer for English language learners to catch up totheir age peers in academic language.

General FactorsThe rate at which an English language learner acquires proficiency in English, adapts tothe new environment, and integrates into the mainstream academic program will beinfluenced by a number of general factors. Factors affecting the successful acquisition ofEnglish include the following:

The acculturation process. It is acknowledged that most newcomers experience aperiod of cultural adjustment. Newly arrived students will move through thestages of acculturation at an individual pace. The rate at which individual studentsexperience the acculturation process may vary even among members of the samefamily. Some students may experience elements of different stages at the sametime; some may remain in one stage for an extended period of time or may repeatcharacteristics associated with an earlier stage if the process has been interrupted.

The migration experience. Many newcomer students have arrived in Canada withtheir families as part of a voluntary, planned immigration process. However, somestudents have arrived from countries in chaos, have spent time in refugee camps,or have experienced personal trauma caused by natural disaster, politicalupheaval, or family disruption.

The level of development in the first language. English language learners who are atage-appropriate levels of language and literacy development in their own languageare more successful in learning English.

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Prior experience with English. Some newcomers, especially those of secondary schoolage, have studied English in their own countries. Placement of these students mayvary according to their level of proficiency in English.

Personality or motivational factors. Some students are more likely to seek out oppor-tunities to use the new language and take the risks involved in experimentingwith English. Others may need encouragement and support to do this.

The amount and quality of prior schooling. Students who have significant gaps intheir schooling have more to catch up on and will need more support over alonger period of time.

The presence of learning exceptionalities. English language learners show the fullrange of learning exceptionalities in the same proportions as other Ontario students.When special education needs have been identified, students are eligible forESL/ELD services and special education services simultaneously.

School and Classroom Factors A number of school and classroom factors can have a positive influence on English language acquisition. These factors include the following:

The classroom environment. A caring environment where teacher and peers supportEnglish language learners and value their efforts to communicate is essential. It isalso important to validate students’ linguistic and cultural backgrounds, encourag-ing them to strive to become bilingual and bicultural. As well, the selection ofclassroom resources should reflect the students’ backgrounds, ages, interests, andlevel of proficiency in English.

The amount and quality of ESL or ELD support. English language learners need theassistance of ESL or ELD teachers (and of classroom teachers who are aware ofand responsive to their needs as language learners) who use approaches andstrategies that are tailored to their needs (see the outline of approaches and strate-gies on pages 38−48).

Opportunities for interaction in English. English language learners need frequentopportunities for extended conversation in English with their peers and othermembers of the larger community. They should be encouraged to becomeinvolved in extra-curricular activities within the school community.

Supportive language feedback. English language learners need opportunities to pro-duce language and receive feedback in a respectful and helpful way. It is impor-tant for teachers to focus on communication first, responding to the content ofwhat the student is trying to say, before rephrasing in order to provide a model forthe student. As well, it is helpful to focus on one or two errors at a time ratherthan trying to “fix” everything. Errors are a normal part of the language learningprocess.

Opportunities to maintain and develop the first language. The student’s first languageis a critical foundation, not only for language learning but for all learning. Researchindicates that students benefit academically, socially, and emotionally when theyare encouraged to develop and maintain proficiency in their first language whilethey are learning English. Language skills and conceptual knowledge are readilytransferable from one language to another, provided there are no learning excep-tionalities. The first language provides a foundation for developing proficiency inadditional languages, serves as a basis for emotional development, and provides avital link with the student’s family and cultural background.

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Emotional responses to the learning situation. Students entering a new linguistic andcultural environment may be intimidated at first. They may also feel lonely, miss-ing friends and family members. Newcomers who have experienced war or othertrauma in the country of origin or en route to Canada may progress slowly at firstbecause they are preoccupied with thoughts of the dangers they have comethrough, and may not yet feel safe in their new environment.

Parental involvement. Special efforts are needed in order to reach out to parentswhose educational experiences might have been quite different from those ofOntario-born parents. It is also important to remember that newcomer parents arethemselves dealing with culture shock, possible language difficulties, and orienta-tion issues at the same time as they are supporting their children’s needs at school.

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OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAMEnglish language learners in any grade may be placed in appropriate ESL or ELD courses.Since many ESL and ELD classes include students aged between fourteen and twenty,the topics and activities must be selected to appeal to a wide range of ages and maturitylevels. There are five ESL courses and five ELD courses. The courses are designatedaccording to levels of proficiency in English and literacy development, not by grade. All ESL and ELD courses are open courses.

Students may substitute up to three ESL or ELD courses for compulsory English creditrequirements. The remaining English credit shall be chosen from one of the compulsoryEnglish courses offered in Grade 12. Additional ESL or ELD credits may be counted asoptional credits for diploma purposes.

English as a Second Language (ESL) CoursesThese courses are designed for English language learners who have had opportunities to develop language and literacy skills in their own language appropriate to their age or grade level. Most English language learners are in this group. These learners may beentering secondary school from elementary school alongside their English-speakingpeers, or they may be entering secondary school in Ontario having recently arrived fromother countries. They can read and write in their own language within the expectedrange for students of their age in their own country. They can build on their existingfirst-language skills when learning English in an ESL program.

The five ESL courses are based on levels of proficiency in English. Depending on learners’previous experience with English, students may be placed in ESL Level 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.For example, a student who has been in full-time education in his or her country of origin but who has never studied English would be placed in ESL Level 1. A studentwho has been in full-time education in his or her own country and has studied someEnglish might be placed in ESL Level 2 or 3 on the basis of the initial English language

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THE PROGRAM IN ENGLISH AS A SECONDLANGUAGE AND ENGLISH LITERACY DEVELOPMENT

assessment. A student who has studied English for several years might be placed in ESL Level 3, 4, or 5 on the basis of the initial English language assessment. Students of Grade 9 age whose initial assessment indicates that they are beyond ESL Level 4(ESLDO) should be placed directly in Grade 9 Applied English (ENG1P) or Grade 9Academic English (ENG1D).

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Chart 1. Courses in English as a Second Language

Course Course Type Course Code Credit Value Prerequisite

ESL Level 1 Open ESLAO 1

ESL Level 2 Open ESLBO 1 ESL Level 1 or equivalent*

ESL Level 3 Open ESLCO 1 ESL Level 2 or equivalent*

ESL Level 4 Open ESLDO 1 ESL Level 3 or equivalent*

ESL Level 5 Open ESLEO 1 ESL Level 4 or equivalent*

*“Equivalent” may be an equivalent course of study in other provinces in Canada or in other countries, or a proficiency leveldetermined through initial assessment.

English Literacy Development (ELD) Courses These courses are designed for English language learners with limited prior schooling whohave not had opportunities to develop age-appropriate literacy skills in any language. Thesestudents are from areas of the world where educational opportunities have not been con-sistently available. Their needs differ in the following two important ways from the needsof their English language learner peers who arrive with age-appropriate schooling:

They have significant gaps in their education and therefore have more to catch up on.

They need more intensive support for a longer period of time.

ELD courses provide an accelerated program of literacy development for these students.

There are five ELD courses based on levels of literacy development and proficiency inEnglish. Depending on learners’ previous educational experience, first-language literacyskills, and knowledge of English, students may be placed in ELD Level 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.For example, a newly arrived student with no prior formal schooling and no first-languageliteracy skills would be placed in ELD Level 1. A student with some prior schooling andsome knowledge of English might be placed in ELD Level 2 or 3.

Chart 2. Courses in English Literacy Development

Course Course Type Course Code Credit Value Prerequisite

ELD Level 1 Open ELDAO 1

ELD Level 2 Open ELDBO 1 ELD Level 1 or equivalent*

ELD Level 3 Open ELDCO 1 ELD Level 2 or equivalent*

ELD Level 4 Open ELDDO 1 ELD Level 3 or equivalent*

ELD Level 5 Open ELDEO 1 ELD Level 4 or equivalent*

*“Equivalent” may be an equivalent course of study in other provinces in Canada or in other countries, or a proficiency leveldetermined through initial assessment.

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The chart below shows how most English language learners may progress through their ESLand/or ELD courses and into mainstream English courses. Not all students will follow this sequenceexactly, and individual students may vary in the rate at which they progress through the levels.

Pathways to English

English as a Second Language

English Literacy Development

ELD Level 1

ELDAO

ELD Level 5

ELDEO

ELD Level 4

ELDDO

ELD Level 2

ELDBO

ELD Level 3

ELDCO

ESL Level 5

ESLEO

ESL Level 4

ESLDO

ESL Level 2

ESLBO

ESL Level 3

ESLCO

ESL Level 1

ESLAO

ENG1P/1DENG2P/2DENG3E/4E

ENG3U/3CENG4U/4C

ENGLDCCENG1P/2PENG3E/4E

Half-Credit Courses The courses outlined in this document are designed as full-credit courses, but may bedelivered as full- or half-credit courses. Half-credit courses, which require a minimum offifty-five hours of scheduled instructional time, must adhere to the following conditions:

The two half-credit courses created from a full course must together contain all ofthe expectations of the full course. The expectations for the two half-credit coursesmust be divided in a manner that best enables students to achieve the requiredknowledge and skills in the allotted time.

A course that is a prerequisite for another course may be offered as two half-creditcourses, but a student must successfully complete both parts of the course to fulfilthe prerequisite. (Students are not required to complete both parts unless thecourse is a prerequisite for another course they wish to take.)

The title of each half-credit course must include the designation Part 1 or Part 2.When a student successfully completes a half-credit course, a half-credit (0.5) willbe recorded in the credit-value column of both the report card and the OntarioStudent Transcript.

Boards will ensure that all half-credit courses comply with the conditions describedabove, and will report all half-credit courses to the ministry annually in the SchoolOctober Report.

CURRICULUM EXPECTATIONSThe expectations identified for each course describe the knowledge and skills that studentsare expected to develop and demonstrate in their class work, on tests, and in variousother activities on which their achievement is assessed and evaluated.

Two sets of expectations are listed for each strand, or broad curriculum area, of eachcourse – overall expectations and specific expectations. The overall expectations describein general terms the knowledge and skills that students are expected to demonstrate bythe end of each course. The specific expectations describe the expected knowledge andskills in greater detail. The specific expectations are grouped under numbered headings(or “suborganizers”), each of which indicates the overall expectation to which the groupof specific expectations corresponds. Each expectation in a group is identified by an“expectation tag” (a subheading) that describes the particular aspect of the overallexpectation to which the specific expectation refers. Taken together, the overall expecta-tions and specific expectations represent the mandated curriculum.

The organization of expectations into strands and subgroups of expectations is not meantto imply that the expectations in any one strand or group are achieved independently ofthe expectations in the other strands or groups. The groupings are used merely to helpteachers focus on particular aspects of knowledge and skills as they plan lessons orlearning activities for their students. The concepts, content, and skills identified in thedifferent strands of each course should, wherever appropriate, be integrated in instruc-tion throughout the course.

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The specific expectations reflect the progression in knowledge and skills from level tolevel through (1) the wording of the expectation itself, (2) the examples that are given inthe parentheses in the expectation, and/or (3) the “teacher prompts” that may follow theexpectation. The examples and teacher prompts help to clarify the requirements specifiedin the expectations, and suggest the intended depth and level of complexity of the expec-tations. They have been developed to model appropriate practice for the various levels,and are meant to serve as illustrations for teachers. Teachers can choose to use the exam-ples and teacher prompts that are appropriate for their classrooms, or they may developtheir own approaches that reflect a similar level of complexity. Whatever the specific waysin which the requirements outlined in the expectations are implemented in the classroom,they must, wherever possible, be inclusive and reflect the diversity of the student popu-lation and the population of the province.

STRANDSThe content in each of the ESL and ELD courses is organized into four interrelated strands,or broad areas of learning: Listening and Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Socio-culturalCompetence and Media Literacy. Effective instructional activities blend expectationsfrom the four strands in order to provide English language learners with the kinds ofexperiences that promote meaningful learning and that help students recognize how language and literacy skills in the four strands overlap and strengthen one another. Theprogram at all levels is designed to develop a range of essential skills in the four inter-related strands, built on a solid foundation of knowledge of the language conventions of standard English and incorporating the use of analytical, critical, and metacognitivethinking skills. Students learn best when they are provided with opportunities to moni-tor and reflect on their learning, and each strand includes expectations that call for suchreflection.

Listening and Speaking The Listening and Speaking strand has three overall expectations, as follows:

Students will:1. demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English

for a variety of purposes;

2. use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes;

3. use correctly the language structures appropriate for this level to communicateorally in English.

Oral language development lays the basic foundation for the acquisition of any new language, and paves the way for learning to read and write in that language. Well-developed listening and speaking skills in English are essential both for English lan-guage learners’ successful social integration at school and in the community and fortheir development of the language proficiency in academic English that they will need to succeed in all aspects of the mainstream classroom program.

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To develop their oral communication skills, English language learners need extensiveopportunities to listen and to talk about a range of subjects, including personal topics,school subjects, and current affairs. ESL and ELD programs should provide many cogni-tively challenging opportunities for students to engage in listening and speaking activi-ties tied to expectations from all the other course strands. Brainstorming to identify whatstudents already know about the topic of a new text they are about to read, discussingstrategies for how they will organize ideas in a writing assignment, presenting anddefending ideas or debating current issues, and offering constructive feedback aboutwork produced by their peers are all examples of richly integrated tasks that support thedevelopment of English language learners’ listening and speaking skills.

English language learners need to develop listening skills for use in their interactions withothers, for comprehension in less interactive formats such as classroom presentationsand radio and television broadcasts, and for many other social and school purposes: tolisten to directions, instructions, and school announcements in the beginning levels ofinstruction; to take point-form notes on classroom presentations in the middle courselevels; and to provide a summary of a television or radio news report they have heard in the higher-level courses.

Similarly, English language learners need to build a broad range of speaking skills, bothfor conversational purposes and for academic purposes such as presenting ideas andinformation to their classmates. Beginning-level English language learners will needmany opportunities to engage in brief conversations on personal topics, progress tospeaking tasks such as sharing ideas about books in a literature circle at the intermediatelevel, and advance to presenting a classroom seminar or participating in a debate in thehigher-level courses.

English language learners need rich and frequent opportunities to interact in the class-room in a purposeful way – for example, through collaborative learning in pairs andsmall groups that allows them to engage in listening and speaking for authentic pur-poses. Teachers should be a supportive source of input for English language learners’oral language development, offering instruction and feedback, as well as providingexcellent models of the competence a first-language speaker would demonstrate in listening and speaking for both academic and social purposes. Teachers at all course levels should provide focused instruction and modelling of various features of theEnglish grammatical and sound systems.

In addition, teachers should model the use of English conversational strategies that willfacilitate smooth interaction appropriate to a variety of social and academic contexts, aswell as the effective use of communication tools such as clarification, circumlocution,and repair to bridge gaps in students’ current level of proficiency in English.

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Reading The Reading strand has three overall expectations, as follows:

Students will:1. read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts for different purposes;

2. use a variety of reading strategies throughout the reading process to extract meaning from texts;

3. use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary;

4. locate and extract relevant information from written and graphic texts for a variety of purposes.

Adolescents whose first language is English come to the task of reading at the secondaryschool level with a full repertoire of linguistic resources in English. In contrast, Englishlanguage learners learning to read in English are at the same time in the process ofacquiring English vocabulary and grammar, as well as phonological awareness of thesound system of English. Thus, secondary school English language learners who possessage-appropriate reading skills in their first language still face a number of learning challenges as they approach learning to read in English. These challenges may includedifferences in sound-symbol relationships between the reader’s first language andEnglish, limitations in learned English oral vocabulary, gaps in background knowledge,and lack of familiarity with the structure of English text forms.

Students in the ELD program with gaps in their prior education may be experiencingtheir first major foray into reading in any language, and thus may face an additional setof challenges. These might include lack of familiarity with the routines and expectationsof the school environment, lack of reading-readiness concepts, and gaps in their generalacademic and background knowledge that would normally have been filled throughchildhood school attendance. An effective reading program for English language learnerswill take all these differences into account, and will provide rich and extensive opportu-nities for tapping into and building on students’ background knowledge, developingvocabulary, modelling and thinking aloud by teachers and students, discussing texts,and participating in group reading and learning activities.

As English language learners develop their reading skills in English, it is important thatthey have many opportunities to read a wide variety of texts from diverse cultures andfor a variety of purposes. By reading widely, students will develop a richer vocabulary,become more attuned to the conventions of written English in various genres, and increasetheir understanding of diverse world views. A well-balanced reading program will pro-vide students with opportunities to read to widen their knowledge in all areas of thecurriculum, to discover interesting information, for the pleasure of self-discovery, andfor sheer enjoyment. Reading experiences that invite students to discover new worldsand to develop their imaginative powers will go a long way towards convincing themthat reading can be a rich source of pleasure and knowledge. Such experiences are likelyto lead to a love of reading, which is among the most valuable resources students cantake with them into adult life.

Reading is a complex process that involves the application of many strategies before,during, and after reading. Students need to identify which strategies are personally mosthelpful and how they can use these and other strategies to improve as readers. For example,

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students might prepare before reading by identifying the purpose of the reading activityand by activating their prior knowledge about the topic of the text and the vocabularycontained in that text. Students may need a teacher’s help to make sense of the newEnglish vocabulary and grammatical structures they will encounter in a text. Teacherscan also help English language learners build the necessary background knowledgerequired to understand texts that these students may not have been able to acquirethrough their own experiences.

During reading, English language learners may use clues from context or from theirunderstanding of language structures and/or letter-sound relationships to help themdetermine the meaning of unfamiliar words. They will also use a variety of comprehen-sion strategies such as predicting, questioning, identifying main ideas, and monitoringcomprehension to help them understand a text. After reading, students may analyse,synthesize, make connections, evaluate, and use other critical and creative thinking skillsto achieve a deeper understanding of the material they have read. For example, studentsmight evaluate an author’s perspective or bias in a piece of writing and discuss how thatmight affect the reader’s interpretation.

To become fluent readers of English, students need to read frequently and develop therange of skills required to read for a variety of different purposes – to follow directions,to get advice, to obtain information, to build vocabulary, to obtain access to subjectknowledge, and for personal interest and enjoyment.

Writing The Writing strand has four overall expectations, as follows:

Students will: 1. write in a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences;

2. organize ideas coherently in writing;

3. use correctly the conventions of written English appropriate for this level, includ-ing grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation;

4. use the stages of the writing process.

Current research confirms the similarity in the writing processes of both first- and second-language writers. As English language learners develop control over the language, theirwriting gradually begins to approximate standard English. The elements that go intowriting in any language are essentially similar: selecting a topic; choosing and organiz-ing the ideas to be included; framing the message appropriately for the intended audi-ence; applying the conventions of written language such as grammar, spelling, and wordchoice; and applying editing, revising, and proofreading strategies to produce a polishedpiece of writing.

While the processes of English writing may be essentially similar for both first- and second-language writers, there are some important differences in what the two groupsbring to the task. First, English language learners will surely experience some limitationsin their expressive abilities in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and idiomatic expressions.In addition, English language learners may not have had the exposure to the variousforms and styles of written English that first-language speakers have had. Students inthe ELD program will not have had the same range of opportunities to practise and

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develop writing skills that English language learners with consistent prior schoolinghave had, and may need extensive exposure to writing-readiness concepts, as well as toinstruction about the purpose and structure of various forms of writing. In addition, allstudents need to be taught ways to avoid plagiarism when writing for reporting andresearch purposes. Teachers need to be aware of the differences between first- and second-language writers, and provide students with frequent opportunities to gain mastery over English language structure and the organizational patterns used in different types of texts.

Writing competence develops hand in hand with skills in other areas of English, espe-cially reading. In many ways, the development of writing and reading skills is recip-rocal. As students read a variety of texts, they build and develop a command of Englishvocabulary, become familiar with more complex English grammatical structures, andacquire an understanding of the organizational frameworks found in various genres ofEnglish writing. To become good writers of English who are able to communicate ideaswith ease and clarity, English language learners need frequent opportunities to write forvarious purposes and audiences and to master the skills involved in the various stagesof the writing process. The more English language learners read and write, the morelikely they will be to achieve full mastery in all areas of the mainstream curriculum.

Socio-cultural Competence and Media LiteracyThe Socio-cultural Competence and Media Literacy strand has four overall expectations,as follows:

Students will:1. use English and non-verbal communication strategies appropriately in a variety

of social contexts;

2. demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and of the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society;

3. demonstrate knowledge of and adaptation to the Ontario education system;

4. demonstrate an understanding of, interpret, and create a variety of media works.

English language learners arrive in Ontario schools from a multitude of cultural and lin-guistic backgrounds, each with its own norms and conventions for communicating in arange of social situations and contexts. To be fully proficient in any language, speakersof that language must learn to interact appropriately at different levels of formality withpeers, teachers, community members, and employers. The ability to understand and usethe different language forms and observe the behavioural norms that are appropriate ina wide variety of situations is an important part of socio-cultural competence and is alsoa critical factor in English language learners’ attainment of full proficiency in English.

Newcomer secondary students also face the twin challenges of learning English andadapting to a new school system, a system that may be very different from the one theywere previously accustomed to. English language learners need to learn to navigate theOntario education system to maximize their potential for success. Through this strand,they will acquire the tools for success in the student-centred Ontario classroom envi-ronment by developing learning skills in such areas as teamwork, cooperation, timemanagement, and initiative. English language learners also need to learn strategies for

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planning for their future, through knowledge of a range of postsecondary pathways anddestinations such as further education, apprenticeship training programs, or workforceopportunities.

Through the expectations in this strand, students will also demonstrate their understandingthat the Ontario school system expects all students to treat each other with respect, dig-nity, and understanding. Students are entitled to receive equitable treatment in Ontarioschools, regardless of differences in race, gender, place of origin, ethnic origin, citizen-ship, religion, sexual orientation, physical ability, or class and family status. Schools willnot tolerate abuse, bullying, discrimination, intimidation, hateful words and actions, orany form of physical violence based on any of these differences. Students are encouragedthrough this strand to develop proactive problem-prevention strategies and peacefulconflict-resolution strategies that will allow them to interact respectfully and appropriatelywith each other and in the wider community. In addition, students will acquire knowl-edge about the contributions of the many linguistic and cultural groups that are at theheart of our diverse Canadian society, as well as a knowledge of Canadian geography,history, and civic issues that will empower them to participate fully as Canadian citizens.

This strand also includes expectations that help students to develop the media-literacyskills needed to understand, critically interpret, and create media texts in English. Theplethora of print, screen, and electronic mass media messages directed at adolescentsand youth makes the development of media literacy especially important for secondarystudents. The media-literacy aspect of this strand explores the impact and influence ofmass media and popular culture by examining the art and messaging of texts such as films,songs, advertisements, television shows, magazines, newspapers, billboards, photographs,and websites. Because of the significant influence that implicit and overt media messagescan have on students, it is important for students to develop the ability to evaluate suchmessages critically. Understanding how media texts are constructed and aimed at specificaudiences enables students to respond to media texts intelligently and responsibly.

Because media texts tend to use idioms, slang, and Canadian and North American culturalcontexts and references with which English language learners may not be familiar, medialiteracy is highly relevant to a strand that focuses on socio-cultural competence. However,media-literacy expectations also combine well with expectations in Listening and Speaking,Reading, and Writing.

ADAPTING ESL OR ELD COURSES FOR STUDENTS WHO SPEAK A VARIETY OF ENGLISHESL and ELD courses were designed for students with a language background otherthan English. These courses may need to be adapted for use with students who speak avariety of English such as those spoken in parts of the Caribbean and Africa. These stu-dents have considerable knowledge of English, even if they are newcomers to Canada.Schools should establish protocols for adapting ESL or ELD courses to meet the needs of students who speak different varieties of English.

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English is an international language, and many varieties of English are spoken aroundthe world. Standard English is a variety of English that is used as the language of educa-tion, and the language of law and government in English-speaking countries and/orregions, such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Jamaica, the United States,Australia, many countries in Africa, and parts of India. Standard English is spoken withmany different accents.

Some varieties of English are very different – not only in pronunciation, or accent, butalso in vocabulary and sentence structure – from the English required for success inOntario schools. For example, while many people in English-speaking Caribbean coun-tries speak standard English, others speak a variety of Caribbean English Creole. Thesevarieties are so different from standard English that many linguistic experts considerthem to be languages in their own right. Students from some West African countriesmay also speak an English-related Creole language.

An initial assessment of proficiency in English can help identify those students who,although they may be English-speaking, may require instruction in some of the vocabu-lary and grammatical forms of standard Canadian English in order to succeed in Ontarioschools.

Students learning standard English are not learning “better” English. Their variety ofEnglish is a valid form of communication in their linguistic community, and they willneed to continue to belong to that community at the same time as they are learning standard English for success in school. As with all English language learners, the role of the school is to encourage students to value and maintain their own linguistic andcultural identities while enabling them to enter the larger society as bilingual and bicultural individuals, able to choose language and cultural norms that are appropriatein a given linguistic situation or cultural context.

PROCEDURES FOR PLACING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS Secondary schools should establish a specific process for receiving English languagelearners. All staff members, including administrative staff, should be aware of andunderstand the process. The placement process is aimed at successfully integratingEnglish language learners in Ontario secondary schools, and has four major components:

Reception and orientation: to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment fornew students and their families

Initial assessment: to determine each student’s educational background, level ofproficiency in English, and academic achievement

Placement: to determine the best program and selection of courses for each student

Monitoring: to keep track of each student’s progress in second-language acquisi-tion, academic development, and cultural adjustment, and to provide support asneeded

English language learners may arrive in Ontario schools at any point during the schoolyear. Special efforts should be made to ensure the effective placement and integration ofstudents in classes that are already in progress.

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Reception and OrientationSupportive reception and orientation of new students and their families is a critical firststep in the successful integration of English language learners into secondary school.This reception process may take place at a centralized school board reception centre or at the individual school site. During initial reception, assessment, and placement, severalinterviews and counselling sessions may be needed to share background informationthat will contribute to students’ successful integration into the secondary school and toinitiate open and positive communication with the home and family. The assistance ofinterpreters, school settlement workers, student ambassadors, and other communitymembers can be very helpful during this process.

During the first interview, the interviewer should:

obtain background information about the student, including personal history, circumstances of immigration, previous educational experience, education plans,and career aspirations. This information should be made available to the student’steachers;

review any educational documents that students may bring to facilitate the grantingof equivalent credits for previous secondary education, in accordance with policydirectives, and in consultation with resource persons familiar with the educationsystem in the student’s home country;

if documents are not available, gather information from the student and parents to find out about previous schooling, including the number of years completed;

introduce the new student to a student ambassador – preferably one who speaksthe newcomer’s language – who will help orient the student to the school and itsroutines;

provide essential orientation information to the student and family and establish a relationship that allows orientation to continue during the weeks and monthsahead.

Orientation information may include the following: basic information about the structureof the school day and year; the names and telephone numbers of relevant communityorganizations and of important contact persons such as the guidance counsellor, the ESLor ELD teacher, the principal, and a bilingual contact person or interpreter; a descriptionof support services available from the district school board; a description of importantschool norms and routines such as the dress code and emergency procedures; a descrip-tion of the Ontario school system; and information on the role of parents in Ontarioschools. It is helpful to have this information available in printed form so that newcomersare not overwhelmed by the need to assimilate a great deal of information all at once. Itis also helpful to provide this information in the languages of the community.

Initial AssessmentThe initial assessment of English language learners is an opportunity to obtain a clearpicture of their educational, cultural, and personal background, their level of achieve-ment in the subjects covered by Ontario’s curriculum, their level of proficiency in English,and their linguistic, academic, and other needs, including any exceptionalities.

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All students entering a new school require an accurate assessment of their needs, but theprocess takes longer when the students are recent arrivals from other countries or arebeginning learners of English. The purpose of the initial assessment is to gather furtherinformation about each student’s educational background and level of proficiency inEnglish in order to select a suitable program. Assessment covers two key areas: profi-ciency in English and mathematical knowledge and skills.

Language assessment begins with the reception interview. Where possible, at least partof the assessment may be conducted in the student’s first or dominant language to allowa broader view of his or her linguistic and cognitive development. For example, level ofperformance in reading and writing in English is seldom an indication of the student’slevel of literacy development. Students who are functioning at or above grade level intheir own language may not be able to perform nearly as well in English. At the sametime, there is a need to find out how proficient the student is in the language of instruc-tion. With the help of these assessments, schools can make informed decisions about thestudent’s academic and linguistic needs.

If appropriate resource personnel are available, an assessment of the student’s oral andwritten skills in the first language may assist placement. A student’s writing in the firstlanguage may provide some useful information, even to teachers who do not read thatlanguage, if they use the following questions as guidelines: Does letter or character for-mation appear to be appropriately developed for the student’s age? How long does ittake for the student to produce the piece? Does the student check and edit the piece?How simple or complex does the writing appear?

The assessment of the student’s oral skills in English begins with the initial interview.The interview is appropriate as an assessment vehicle because it demonstrates the stu-dent’s ability to meet the demands of everyday oral communication. The student mayalso be asked to participate in a conversation, describe or discuss pictures, listen to andretell a story, or explain a diagram or concept from a familiar subject area. The specificcourse expectations for Listening and Speaking may be used as criteria in assessing stu-dent performance and placing students in ESL or ELD courses.

The most informative tool for assessing reading comprehension in English is an informalreading inventory, which consists of a graduated series of reading passages that assessreading comprehension. Each passage is accompanied by questions designed to focus onspecific aspects of reading comprehension, such as understanding specific words andmain ideas, finding details, following sequence, relating cause and effect, or makinginferences. It may be necessary, however, to adapt some passages that contain culturallyunfamiliar concepts. Also, caution is required in interpreting results. Results of a readingassessment in English reflect reading performance in the student’s second language, notthe student’s level of first-language literacy development. The specific course expecta-tions for Reading may be used as criteria in assessing student performance and placingstudents in ESL or ELD courses.

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If the student is able to participate in the reading assessment, it is appropriate to go onto an assessment of writing in English. Students with limited proficiency in English mayrespond to a picture by listing what they see. Someone with greater proficiency mayconstruct a more detailed description or write a story. With a more advanced student, itis helpful to obtain writing samples of different kinds, such as a piece of personal writing,a narrative, a letter, a descriptive piece, or some expository writing. In all cases, a choiceof topics within the student’s experience should be provided. The specific course expec-tations for Writing may be used as criteria in assessing student performance and placingstudents in ESL or ELD courses.

Many English language learners may find it easier to display competence with figuresthan with the words of a new language. Achievement in mathematics can provide a use-ful indication of a student’s educational background and learning potential. However,since performance in mathematics depends on linguistic comprehension, limitations inthe student’s understanding of English should be taken into account in administeringthe assessment. It is also important to consider that elements in the mathematics curriculummay be taught in a different order in other countries. Assessment materials provided instudents’ first languages can be very helpful.

The mathematics assessment should begin with items related to The Ontario Curriculum,Grades 1–8: Mathematics, 2005. If a student’s performance on these items reveals signifi-cant gaps in mathematical knowledge and skills, it may not be advisable to conduct further assessment. In many cases, such gaps are attributable to lack of educationalopportunity. Students who have missed some years of schooling may need placement in an accelerated upgrading program for the development of basic mathematical skills in preparation for placement in a Grade 9 mathematics course. Students who are able to demonstrate competence with most of the items on the assessment should then beassessed on expectations from the secondary school mathematics curriculum to deter-mine program placement.

PlacementAn interview should be arranged with the student and parents to review the assessmentinformation and recommend a program of study. Students should be placed in a programthat matches their educational experience and aspirations. In some cases, the choice ofschool may need to be discussed. The student and parents should be informed that theinitial placement is tentative. Schools should monitor and revise the placement over aperiod of time. It is important to inform the student and parents that they, too, may initiate changes in the program.

English language learners who require ESL or ELD instruction should be placed in programs designed to meet their learning needs. Students, including beginning-levellearners of English, should be placed in at least one mainstream class, to allow them tointeract with their English-speaking peers. Most students with the necessary backgroundin mathematics, for example, can participate successfully in mainstream mathematicscourses, even if they have only beginning English proficiency. Also, the practical and inter-active nature of some courses in the arts, health and physical education, and technologicaleducation makes them especially suitable for English language learners.

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Assessment results may indicate that a student will succeed in mainstream classes. Suchstudents may be placed immediately in the courses appropriate to the grade level anddesired program of study, although their progress should be monitored to ensure appro-priate placement.

If the assessment indicates that a student may be performing several grades behind his orher peers, this may not be the result of a learning disability. Low levels of first-languageliteracy skills or academic achievement can often be attributed to external conditions,such as disrupted schooling or limited access to schooling in the country of origin. Withproper support, the student can be assisted in catching up with peers. However, it isimportant to keep in mind that some English language learners – about the same pro-portion as in the general school population – may have learning exceptionalities that arenot related to lack of knowledge of the language of instruction or to gaps in their school-ing. These students are discussed in the section “Planning ESL and ELD Programs forStudents With Special Education Needs”.

MonitoringSchools should monitor the academic progress of each student. Although the initialassessment may provide sufficient information for a tentative placement, it is importantto assess each student’s progress on an ongoing basis. By keeping track of academic andlinguistic development, schools can suggest appropriate changes to a student’s program.

TRANSITION FROM ELEMENTARY TO SECONDARY SCHOOLMany English language learners arrive in Grade 9 after several years in an Ontario elemen-tary school, where various models for ESL and ELD support may be in place. Many ofthese students are still learning English, even though they may not have been receivingdirect ESL or ELD support in Grade 8. Such students will benefit from ESL or ELDcourses to help them cope with the linguistic demands of the secondary school program.Schools should establish protocols for easing the transition between elementary and secondary school.

TRANSITION TO MAINSTREAM ENGLISH COURSESThe transition to mainstream English courses is influenced by a number of variables,particularly the individual student’s future educational goals, age, and the level of achieve-ment he or she has attained in ESL or ELD courses. For example: a high-achieving fifteen-year-old student currently in ESL Level 4 who plans to go to university may benefit fromcompleting ESL Level 5 prior to transferring into the Grade 11 English university prepa-ration course (ENG3U); whereas an eighteen-year-old student currently in ESL Level 4who plans to enter the workforce after graduation may be best served by transferringinto the Grade 12 English workplace preparation course (ENG4E).

Some students may require more or less time than others to achieve the course expecta-tions. Students who show exceptional progress may be able to meet the expectations oftwo ESL or ELD courses within the time frame for one credit: that is, 110 hours. Thesestudents would earn the higher ESL or ELD credit. Others may need to repeat a courseor part of a course in order to achieve all the course expectations and earn the credit for

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the course. Students entering secondary school as beginning learners of English or in thebeginning stages of literacy development may need more than four years to completediploma requirements or to meet postsecondary entrance requirements.

INTEGRATION OF STUDENTS INTO MAINSTREAM SUBJECT CLASSROOMSThe successful integration of English language learners into the academic and social lifeof the school requires all teachers to work together to support them. Although many students become proficient users of English for most day-to-day purposes within twoyears, students may take seven years or more to catch up to first-language Englishspeakers in their ability to use English for academic purposes. Participation in ESLand/or ELD courses assists English language learners to make rapid progress; however,students who arrive as beginning learners of English during their secondary schoolyears may not have enough time to catch up with their peers by the end of Grade 12.Reading textbooks, participating in academic discussions, or writing essays or examina-tion answers may be much more difficult for these students than for first-languageEnglish speakers. Their relatively limited vocabulary may make reading some textbooksdifficult, and in some cases, inexperience with complex sentence patterns may make itdifficult for them to write as fluently as some of their peers. Most students who have completed their ESL and/or ELD courses will therefore continue to need support from theirsubject teachers to achieve success.

English language learners will have the best chance to succeed in classrooms where thereis opportunity for extensive oral interaction with English-speaking peers. In evaluatingachievement, it is important for teachers to recognize the value of the content and theorganization of ideas in students’ written work, as well as grammar, spelling, and wordchoice. In addition, teachers must provide instruction on specific features of English forthose students whose written English indicates a need for such assistance.

English language learners need access to their first language as a tool for learning andthinking, at least until they are sufficiently proficient in the second language to use it fora wide range of academic purposes. The first language is the foundation upon whichEnglish proficiency is built. An insistence on “English only” may limit students’ cognitiveactivity to their level of proficiency in their second language. Students’ first languagestherefore have a place in the classroom alongside English, and students may use theirfirst languages in a variety of ways: for example, by consulting bilingual dictionaries, bymaking notes or preparing outlines and first drafts in their first language, or by workingon specific activities with first-language peers before transferring to English.

Another way of helping English language learners succeed is to design lessons andactivities and choose resources that recognize students’ background knowledge andexperiences. The subject teacher can also use the wealth of linguistic and cultural diver-sity in the classroom by encouraging students to share information with each otherabout their own languages and cultures. In this way, all students are enriched with agreater awareness of language and culture, and all students have a sense of belonging.

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Subject teachers should practise differentiated instruction, incorporating appropriatestrategies for instruction and assessment to facilitate the success of the English languagelearners in their classrooms. These strategies include the following:

modification of some or all of the course expectations, based on the student’s levelof English proficiency

use of a variety of instructional strategies (e.g., extensive use of visual cues, graphicorganizers, and scaffolding; previewing of textbooks; pre-teaching of key vocabu-lary; peer tutoring; strategic use of students’ first languages)

use of a variety of learning resources (e.g., visual material, first-language material,simplified text, bilingual dictionaries, culturally diverse materials, field trips)

use of assessment accommodations (e.g., granting of extra time; use of oral inter-views and tasks requiring completion of graphic organizers and cloze sentencesinstead of essay questions and other assessment tasks that depend heavily on proficiency in English)

When learning expectations in any course are modified for English language learners,(whether or not the students are enrolled in an ESL or ELD course), this must be clearlyindicated on the student’s report card.

For further information on supporting students who are English language learners, referto the resource guide Many Roots, Many Voices: Supporting English Language Learners inEvery Classroom (Ministry of Education, Ontario, 2005).

PROGRAM DELIVERY There is flexibility in the delivery of ESL and ELD programs and the ways in whichEnglish language learners can be given support.

Delivery Models Depending on local circumstances (i.e., distribution and number of English languagelearners within a particular district school board, size of school board), one or more ofthe following ESL and ELD program delivery models may be appropriate.

Local School Model The number of students is sufficient to sustain a full-service program for Englishlanguage learners.

The school contains an ESL and ELD department with qualified ESL and ELDteachers.

The school offers a range of ESL and ELD credit courses.

The school offers a range of other credit courses adapted to the needs of Englishlanguage learners (e.g., geography, history, science).

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Congregated School Model The number of students in local schools is not sufficient to sustain a full-serviceprogram for English language learners; learners are congregated in a magnetschool, which serves students from the surrounding geographical area.

The school contains an ESL and ELD department with qualified ESL and ELDteachers.

The school offers a range of ESL and ELD credit courses.

The school offers a range of other credit courses adapted to the needs of Englishlanguage learners (e.g., geography, history, science, Civics, Career Studies).

Resource Support Model The number of students within a particular school board, geographical area, orindividual school is not sufficient to sustain ESL or ELD credit courses.

The school provides a qualified ESL and ELD teacher to offer regularly scheduledindividual assistance on a resource basis.

ESL and ELD professional resource support (provided by a qualified ESL and ELDteacher, consultant, coordinator) is available to classroom teachers.

Types of Support Depending on the needs of individual students, one or more of the following types ofsupport may be provided.

Intensive Support Intensive support is suitable for English language learners who are in the early stages oflearning English and/or who have had limited education. The timetable of each of thesestudents includes an ESL or ELD course, supplemented, where numbers permit, withspecial sections of other subjects adapted to meet the needs of English language learners.In addition, these students must be integrated into at least one mainstream course toprovide balance in the program and opportunities for interaction with English-speakingpeers.

Students who arrive with little or no previous schooling need extra support to acquirebasic literacy skills and academic concepts. In addition to ELD support, first-languageassistance may also be provided, where resources are available, by teachers, trained andsupervised tutors, or volunteers. In such situations, skills and knowledge acquiredthrough the first language can be transferred into English and can help promote theacquisition of English.

Partial Support Partial support is suitable for English language learners who have acquired some basicskills in using English and a foundation level of literacy. Such students take ESL or ELDcourses at the appropriate level and, at the same time, take an increasing number ofmainstream courses in other compulsory or optional subjects, at the appropriate gradelevels that best suit their language needs and educational and career goals.

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Tutorial Support English language learners who are enrolled in a full program of mainstream coursesmay receive tutorial support from an ESL and ELD resource teacher, subject teachers,and peer tutors. This type of support is suitable for English language learners at all lev-els of English language proficiency.

Note: English language learners should “graduate” from ESL or ELD programs whenthey have attained the level of proficiency required to learn effectively in English.Although a student may leave formal ESL or ELD classes and become completely inte-grated into the mainstream program within two or three years, the student’s progressshould continue to be monitored until he or she has attained a level of proficiency inEnglish similar to that of English-speaking peers.

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ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION OF STUDENTACHIEVEMENT

BASIC CONSIDERATIONSThe primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning.Information gathered through assessment helps teachers to determine students’ strengthsand weaknesses in their achievement of the curriculum expectations in each course. Thisinformation also serves to guide teachers in adapting curriculum and instructionalapproaches to students’ needs and in assessing the overall effectiveness of programs and classroom practices.

Assessment is the process of gathering information from a variety of sources (includingassignments, demonstrations, projects, performances, and tests) that accurately reflectshow well a student is achieving the curriculum expectations in a subject. As part ofassessment, teachers provide students with descriptive feedback that guides their effortstowards improvement. Evaluation refers to the process of judging the quality of studentwork on the basis of established criteria, and assigning a value to represent that quality.

Assessment and evaluation will be based on the provincial curriculum expectations andthe achievement levels outlined in this document.

In order to ensure that assessment and evaluation are valid and reliable, and that theylead to the improvement of student learning, teachers must use assessment and evalua-tion strategies that:

address both what students learn and how well they learn;

are based both on the categories of knowledge and skills and on the achievementlevel descriptions given in the achievement chart on pages 36–37;

are varied in nature, administered over a period of time, and designed to provideopportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning;

are appropriate for the learning activities used, the purposes of instruction, andthe needs and experiences of the students;

are fair to all students;

accommodate the needs of students with special education needs, consistent withthe strategies outlined in their Individual Education Plan;

accommodate the needs of students who are learning the language of instruction;

ensure that each student is given clear directions for improvement;

promote students’ ability to assess their own learning and to set specific goals;

include the use of samples of students’ work that provide evidence of theirachievement;

are communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning of the course orthe school term and at other appropriate points throughout the school year.

All curriculum expectations must be accounted for in instruction, but evaluation focuseson students’ achievement of the overall expectations. A student’s achievement of theoverall expectations is evaluated on the basis of his or her achievement of related specificexpectations. The overall expectations are broad in nature, and the specific expectationsdefine the particular content or scope of the knowledge and skills referred to in the over-all expectations. Teachers will use their professional judgement to determine which spe-cific expectations should be used to evaluate achievement of the overall expectations,and which ones will be covered in instruction and assessment (e.g., through direct obser-vation) but not necessarily evaluated.

The characteristics given in the achievement chart (see pages 36–37) for level 3 representthe “provincial standard” for achievement of the expectations in a course. A completepicture of overall achievement at level 3 in a course in English as a Second Language orEnglish Literacy Development can be constructed by reading from top to bottom in theshaded column of the achievement chart, headed “70–79% (Level 3)”. Parents of stu-dents achieving at level 3 can be confident that their children will be prepared for workin subsequent courses.

Level 1 identifies achievement that falls much below the provincial standard, while stillreflecting a passing grade. Level 2 identifies achievement that approaches the standard.Level 4 identifies achievement that surpasses the standard. It should be noted thatachievement at level 4 does not mean that the student has achieved expectations beyondthose specified for a particular course. It indicates that the student has achieved all oralmost all of the expectations for that course, and that he or she demonstrates the abilityto use the specified knowledge and skills in more sophisticated ways than a studentachieving at level 3.

The Ministry of Education provides teachers with material such as exemplars that willassist them in improving their assessment methods and strategies and, hence, theirassessment of student achievement. Exemplars include samples of student work thatillustrate achievement at each of the four levels. (Adaptations can be made within theexemplar documents to align them with the revised curriculum.)

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THE ACHIEVEMENT CHART FOR ESL AND ELD The achievement chart that follows identifies four categories of knowledge and skills inEnglish as a Second Language and English Literacy Development. The achievement chartis a standard province-wide guide to be used by teachers. It enables teachers to makejudgements about student work that are based on clear performance standards and on abody of evidence collected over time.

The purpose of the achievement chart is to:

provide a common framework that encompasses all curriculum expectations for allcourses outlined in this document;

guide the development of high-quality assessment tasks and tools (including rubrics);

help teachers to plan instruction for learning;

assist teachers in providing meaningful feedback to students;

provide various categories and criteria with which to assess and evaluate students’learning.

Categories of Knowledge and Skills. The categories, defined by clear criteria, representfour broad areas of knowledge and skills within which the subject expectations for anygiven course are organized. The four categories should be considered as interrelated,reflecting the wholeness and interconnectedness of learning.

The categories of knowledge and skills are described as follows:

Knowledge and Understanding. Subject-specific content acquired in each grade (knowl-edge) and the comprehension of its meaning and significance (understanding).

Thinking. The use of critical and creative thinking skills and/or processes.

Communication. The conveying of meaning through various forms.

Application. The use of knowledge and skills to make connections within and betweenvarious contexts.

Teachers will ensure that student work is assessed and/or evaluated in a balanced man-ner with respect to the four categories, and that achievement of particular expectations isconsidered within the appropriate categories.

Criteria. Within each category in the achievement chart, criteria are provided that aresubsets of the knowledge and skills that define each category. The criteria identify theaspects of student performance that are assessed and/or evaluated, and serve as guidesto what to look for.

Descriptors. A “descriptor” indicates the characteristic of the student’s performance,with respect to a particular criterion, on which assessment or evaluation is focused. In the achievement chart, effectiveness is the descriptor used for each criterion in theThinking, Communication, and Application categories. What constitutes effectiveness in any given performance task will vary with the particular criterion being considered.Assessment of effectiveness may therefore focus on a quality such as appropriateness,

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clarity, accuracy, precision, logic, relevance, significance, fluency, flexibility, depth, orbreadth, as appropriate for the particular criterion. For example, in the Thinking category,assessment of effectiveness might focus on the degree of relevance or depth apparent in an analysis; in the Communication category, on clarity of expression or logical organi-zation of information and ideas; or in the Application category, on appropriateness orbreadth in the making of connections. Similarly, in the Knowledge and Understandingcategory, assessment of knowledge might focus on accuracy, and assessment of under-standing might focus on the depth of an explanation. Descriptors help teachers to focustheir assessment and evaluation on specific knowledge and skills for each category andcriterion, and help students to better understand exactly what is being assessed andevaluated.

Qualifiers. A specific “qualifier” is used to define each of the four levels of achievement– that is, limited for level 1, some for level 2, considerable for level 3, and a high degree orthorough for level 4. A qualifier is used along with a descriptor to produce a descriptionof performance at a particular level. For example, the description of a student’s perform-ance at level 3 with respect to the first criterion in the Thinking category would be: “thestudent uses planning skills with considerable effectiveness”.

The descriptions of the levels of achievement given in the chart should be used to iden-tify the level at which the student has achieved the expectations. In all of their courses,students should be given numerous and varied opportunities to demonstrate the fullextent of their achievement of the curriculum expectations across all four categories ofknowledge and skills.

EVALUATION AND REPORTING OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTStudent achievement must be communicated formally to students and parents by meansof the Provincial Report Card, Grades 9–12. The report card provides a record of the student’s achievement of the curriculum expectations in every course, at particular pointsin the school year or semester, in the form of a percentage grade. The percentage graderepresents the quality of the student’s overall achievement of the expectations for thecourse and reflects the corresponding level of achievement as described in the achieve-ment chart for the discipline.

A final grade is recorded for every course, and a credit is granted and recorded for everycourse in which the student’s grade is 50 per cent or higher. The final grade for eachcourse in Grades 9 to 12 will be determined as follows:

Seventy per cent of the grade will be based on evaluations conducted throughoutthe course. This portion of the grade should reflect the student’s most consistentlevel of achievement throughout the course, although special consideration shouldbe given to more recent evidence of achievement.

Thirty per cent of the grade will be based on a final evaluation in the form of oneor a combination of the following: an examination, a performance, an essay, oranother method of evaluation suitable to the course content and expectations. The final evaluation should be administered at or towards the end of the course.

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REPORTING ON DEMONSTRATED LEARNING SKILLSThe report card provides a record of the learning skills demonstrated by the student in every course, in the following five categories: Works Independently, Teamwork,Organization, Work Habits, and Initiative. The learning skills are evaluated using a four-point scale (E−Excellent, G−Good, S−Satisfactory, N−Needs Improvement). The separate evaluation and reporting of the learning skills in these five areas reflect theircritical role in students’ achievement of the curriculum expectations. To the extent possible, the evaluation of learning skills, apart from any that may be included as part of a curriculum expectation in a course, should not be considered in the determination of percentage grades.

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ACHIEVEMENT CHART – ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE AND ENGLISH LITERACYDEVELOPMENT, GRADES 9–12

Knowledge and Understanding – Subject-specific content acquired in each course (knowledge), andthe comprehension of its meaning and significance (understanding)

The student:

Knowledge of content (e.g., vocabulary, grammati-cal structures, punctuation,terminology, forms of textand media)

Understanding of content (e.g., informationand ideas, themes in novelsand short stories, literarydevices, language variety)

demonstrateslimited knowl-edge of content

demonstrateslimited under-standing of content

demonstratessome knowledgeof content

demonstratessome under-standing of content

demonstratesconsiderableknowledge ofcontent

demonstratesconsiderableunderstanding of content

demonstratesthorough knowl-edge of content

demonstratesthorough under-standing of content

Thinking – The use of critical and creative thinking skills and/or processes

The student:

Use of planning skills (e.g., focusing an inquiry,gathering information,organizing a project)

uses planningskills with limitedeffectiveness

uses planningskills with someeffectiveness

uses planningskills with considerableeffectiveness

uses planningskills with a high degree ofeffectiveness

Use of processing skills (e.g., selecting, analysing,generating, integrating, syn-thesizing, evaluating, form-ing conclusions)

uses processingskills with limitedeffectiveness

uses processingskills with someeffectiveness

uses processingskills with considerableeffectiveness

uses processingskills with a high degree ofeffectiveness

Use of critical/creativethinking processes (e.g., reading process, writingprocess, oral discourse,research)

uses critical/creative thinkingprocesses with limitedeffectiveness

uses critical/creative thinkingprocesses with some effectiveness

uses critical/creative thinkingprocesses withconsiderableeffectiveness

uses critical/creative thinkingprocesses with ahigh degree ofeffectiveness

Communication – The conveying of meaning through various forms

The student:

Expression and organiza-tion of ideas and informa-tion in oral and visualforms (e.g., presentations,dialogues, discussions, roleplaying, debates, graphictexts, media works) and writ-ten forms (e.g., journals,notes, narratives, reports,résumés, stories, poems)

expresses andorganizes ideasand informationwith limited effectiveness

expresses andorganizes ideasand informationwith some effectiveness

expresses andorganizes ideasand informationwith considerableeffectiveness

expresses andorganizes ideasand informationwith a highdegree of effectiveness

Categories 50−59%(Level 1)

60−69%(Level 2)

70−79%(Level 3)

80−100%(Level 4)

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Communication – The conveying of meaning through various forms (continued)

The student:

Communication for different audiences andpurposes in oral, visual,and written forms (e.g., use of English insocially and culturallyappropriate ways)

communicates fordifferent audiencesand purposeswith limited effectiveness

communicates fordifferent audiencesand purposeswith some effectiveness

communicates fordifferent audiencesand purposeswith considerableeffectiveness

communicates fordifferent audiencesand purposeswith a highdegree of effectiveness

Use of conventions (e.g.,grammatical structures,spelling, punctuation, style,usage), vocabulary, andterminology of the disci-pline in oral, visual, andwritten forms

uses conventions,vocabulary, andterminology ofthe disciplinewith limited effectiveness

uses conventions,vocabulary, andterminology ofthe disciplinewith some effectiveness

uses conventions,vocabulary, andterminology ofthe disciplinewith considerableeffectiveness

uses conventions,vocabulary, andterminology ofthe discipline witha high degree ofeffectiveness

Application – The use of knowledge and skills to make connections within and between various contexts

The student:

Application of knowledgeand skills (e.g., languageknowledge, language-learning strategies, readingstrategies, vocabulary-building strategies) infamiliar contexts

applies knowledgeand skills in familiarcontexts with lim-ited effectiveness

applies knowledgeand skills in familiarcontexts with someeffectiveness

applies knowledgeand skills in familiarcontexts withconsiderableeffectiveness

applies knowledgeand skills in familiarcontexts with ahigh degree ofeffectiveness

Transfer of knowledgeand skills (e.g., languageknowledge, language-learning strategies, readingstrategies, vocabulary-building strategies) to newcontexts

transfers knowl-edge and skills to new contextswith limited effectiveness

transfers knowl-edge and skills to new contextswith some effectiveness

transfers knowl-edge and skills to new contextswith considerableeffectiveness

transfers knowl-edge and skills to new contextswith a high degreeof effectiveness

Making connections withinand between various con-texts (e.g., between thelanguage and the socialand cultural environment,including the school;between learning Englishand becoming aware of citi-zen responsibilities, develop-ing personal and career goals,and understanding culturalreferences in literature)

makes connectionswithin and betweenvarious contextswith limited effectiveness

makes connectionswithin and betweenvarious contextswith some effectiveness

makes connectionswithin and betweenvarious contextswith considerableeffectiveness

makes connectionswithin and betweenvarious contextswith a high degreeof effectiveness

Categories 50−59%(Level 1)

60−69%(Level 2)

70−79%(Level 3)

80−100%(Level 4)

Note: A student whose achievement is below 50% at the end of a course will not obtain a credit for the course.

INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES AND TEACHING STRATEGIESStudents in ESL and ELD courses will benefit from a content-based, thematic approach tolesson planning and delivery. All teachers should integrate language and content instruc-tion so that students can develop academic knowledge and skills in specific content areasat the same time as they develop their English language skills. As well, teachers shouldensure that the teaching of English grammatical structures is integrated with contextrather than being taught or practised in isolation. For example, students learning aboutregions of Canada may be involved in making a bar graph to compare annual precipita-tion in different regions. The cognitive activity consists of finding the information andrecording it in graphic form. The language activity consists of describing the graph, orallyand in writing, using newly learned vocabulary related to the subject matter. In addition,students will gain practice in using impersonal expressions such as it rains, it snows,and there is/there are. Students could then compare the annual precipitation in differentregions of Canada and the world, using quantitative expressions such as twice as much,half as much, five times more, and fifty per cent less. The lesson could then continue with adescription of the water cycle, and students might talk and write about a diagram of thecycle, using connectors such as then, next, after that, and finally, while following the rulesfor subject-verb agreement and comparative forms of adjectives.

Since language activities in ESL and ELD courses can include content from various subjectareas, ESL and ELD teachers need to be aware of the expectations in other subject areas sothat they can design relevant units of work for their students. In addition, subject teachersshould pay attention to the uses and functions of language in their respective disciplines,in order to help all students, and most especially English language learners, to acquirethe specialized vocabulary and language skills needed for success in particular subjects.

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SOME CONSIDERATIONS FORPROGRAM PLANNING IN ESL AND ELD

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Special sections of other subjects adapted for English language learners should includethe expectations of the mainstream course while focusing on general literacy develop-ment and the language conventions of the subject itself. This approach is most suitablefor courses that require a great deal of background knowledge and/or experience thatrecently arrived students may not have, and for courses that require a high level of profi-ciency in English. For example, in science and technological education courses, studentsneed practice in using the passive voice to write laboratory reports or describe processes.In mathematics courses, students need to understand and use expressions for comparingquantity, speed, and size, and words and phrases that indicate specific mathematicaloperations. In history, students need to become familiar with a wide range of tenses,words, and phrases that indicate chronological order and causal relationships amongideas and events.

All teachers should remember that English language learners need frequent opportunitiesto produce language in both written and oral formats. Students need to have plentifulopportunities to communicate with teachers and classmates through a range of interactiveactivities such as instructional conversations, cooperative group work, jigsaw activities,literature circles, writing conferences, peer tutoring, and community outreach tasks.Students also need to receive feedback in a respectful and helpful manner. English lan-guage learners need to be given sufficient wait-time to formulate their thoughts in a second language before they are expected to answer questions or contribute ideas inclass. Teachers should focus on communication first, responding to the content of whatthe student is trying to communicate, before rephrasing in order to provide a model forthe student. Focusing on only one or two errors at a time, in both oral and written work,will yield the most enduring results for English language learners. It is important toremember that making errors is a normal and useful part of the language learningprocess, allowing students to make and test hypotheses about the English language and to apply knowledge and strategies from their first language and prior experiences.

More detailed descriptions of effective teaching strategies can be found below.

Anticipation Guide. The anticipation guide is a strategy used to activate students’ priorknowledge by asking them to identify their existing opinions and attitudes before read-ing a text. Prior to reading a text, students are asked to examine and respond to a seriesof teacher-generated statements that may reflect their pre-reading beliefs and knowledgeabout a topic. After reading the text, the students revisit the statements to explain howtheir opinions may have changed as a result of their reading. The anticipation guide also provides an excellent springboard for discussion of students’ opinions and beliefs. Reading selections that may challenge students’ beliefs and opinions on science andtechnology, the environment, history, and current affairs all provide appropriate vehiclesfor the use of the anticipation guide.

Bilingual Books and Labels. Bilingual books allow students to use their first-languageknowledge to help them make sense of English text. The use of bilingual books in theclassroom affirms and celebrates students’ home languages and cultures, and sends aclear, positive message about the rich contribution of multilingualism to Canadian society.A wide variety of bilingual books is available commercially. In addition, students cancreate their own bilingual materials using their own stories or by gluing their transla-tions into published English books already available in the classroom.

Teachers can also provide multilingual word lists, dictionaries, and glossaries to students,often using students’ own contributions. Themed bulletin-board displays can highlightvocabulary in many languages (e.g., mathematical terms, or ways to say hello, offerpraise, or say thank-you in a multitude of languages).

Cloze Procedure. The cloze procedure is a “fill-in-the-blanks” technique used to assessreading comprehension and to teach new vocabulary. In the classic cloze procedure, students read a passage from which every seventh word has been deleted and fill in theblanks to demonstrate their overall comprehension of the passage. However, the clozeprocedure can be applied selectively to any words in a passage, to adapt the assessmentto the student’s language level, and to concentrate on specific vocabulary items or gram-matical structures, such as content-specific vocabulary, prepositions, or verb tenses. Aword bank can also be supplied with a cloze passage to provide additional support forstudents.

In addition to being used for individual student work, a cloze passage can be presentedas a whole-class or group activity, with the teacher reviewing the text on a chart or over-head transparency. A cloze activity can also be done in pairs or small groups using apocket chart or large sticky notes on chart paper.

Other cloze variations include the oral cloze, in which students learn to predict whatword is to come by using structural and context clues, and the jigsaw cloze, in whichseveral students each receive different words deleted from the same passage and worktogether to recreate the entire text.

Cooperative Learning. Cooperative-learning techniques allow students to work togetheras a team to accomplish a common learning goal. A cooperative-learning group maywork together to complete a research project, prepare a media broadcast, or publish anewsletter.

In cooperative group activities, group members each take on a specific task they areresponsible for, such as gathering materials, taking notes, or ensuring that the groupkeeps to its timelines. While participating in the cooperative-learning activity, studentshave numerous opportunities to practise the language necessary for the smooth func-tioning of the group: for example, how to make suggestions, express opinions, encour-age others, and disagree politely.

In addition to the final product produced by the group, an important aspect of the cooperative-learning process is having each group member examine how the groupfunctioned in its task and evaluate his or her own contribution to the group process.Discussions, journal entries, and self-evaluation checklists are some ways in which students can reflect on the group work process and their part in it.

Dictogloss. Dictogloss is an activity in which students recreate a text read aloud in class.This strategy supports English language learners in listening to and recalling goodEnglish language models, while providing them with opportunities to collaborate andnegotiate with their peers.

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In the dictogloss strategy, the teacher first chooses a text and reads it aloud to the class atleast twice. Teachers can make use of a variety of texts for a dictogloss activity: literatureexcerpts, content-area paragraphs, news items, narrative descriptions, and even technicalprocedures. After hearing the passage read aloud, students work in small groups to writedown key words and phrases, and then try to reconstruct the text. This is followed bygroup editing and proofreading, then comparison of the texts generated by variousgroups. The activity culminates with a whole-class comparison of the reconstructed textswith the original text. The goal of dictogloss is not to produce a text that is identical tothe original but to create one that is well worded and has the same information as theoriginal.

Free Voluntary Reading. Many educators believe that one of the most important strategiesthey can employ with second-language learners is free voluntary reading (sometimesreferred to as sustained silent reading). This strategy is grounded in the idea that readingis one of the most significant activities we can engage in at school. Free voluntary read-ing provides students with regular, sustained periods of time in which to read materialsof their own choice. The focus of free voluntary reading is on improving students’ read-ing skills while helping them to find pleasure in independent reading.

Free voluntary reading should occur at frequent, regularly scheduled times, with every-one in the class taking part (including the teacher, because the modelling of reading forenjoyment is an important aspect of the activity). Students select their own readingmaterial from books, magazines, manuals, newspapers, or graphic novels brought fromhome or found at school. Teachers of English language learners should stock their class-room libraries with a selection of reading materials at different levels, including word-less and picture books, catalogues, brochures, flyers, and materials adapted for Englishlanguage learners. Students can keep brief logs of the items read to allow students,teachers, and parents to track reading preferences. Time for sharing and recommendingbooks can also become part of a free voluntary reading program.

Graphic Organizers. The use of visual supports to increase English language learners’understanding of texts is an especially powerful teaching strategy. Graphic organizers,often also referred to as key visuals, allow students to understand and represent rela-tionships visually rather than just with language, providing helpful redundancy in mak-ing meaning from the text. Graphic organizers can be used to record, organize, analyse,and synthesize information and ideas. Examples of common graphic organizers includethe following: timeline, cycle diagram, T-chart, Venn diagram, story map, flow chart, andproblem-solution outline.

The use of a graphic organizer is extremely helpful when carried out initially as a classor group brainstorming activity. The graphic organizer provides a way of collecting andvisually presenting information about a topic that will make it more comprehensible forEnglish language learners.

When using different graphic organizers, teachers should point out and model for students how particular graphic organizers are especially suited to various types of textorganization. For example, the T-chart provides an ideal framework for visually repre-senting comparison and contrast, while the flow chart is well suited to illustrating cause-and-effect relationships.

Guided Reading. Guided reading is a strategy that provides the scaffolding necessary forEnglish language learners to tackle a challenging text. In guided reading, the teacher meetswith a group of students who are all reading at the same level. The teacher guides thestudents through the text with a series of structured activities for use before, during, and after reading the text. Pre-reading activities can include brainstorming, making pre-dictions about the text, or posing questions to be answered from the text. Students thenread/reread the text, using a combination of silent, pair, and group reading. Duringreading of the text, the teacher can provide mini-lessons to individual students on a par-ticular grammatical structure, vocabulary item, or content question related to the text.The individual coaching that takes place in guided reading allows the teacher to focuson the needs of individual students in developing reading skills and strategies. Afterreading, the teacher structures response tasks to match the reading proficiency level ofthe group. For example, students can revisit the predictions made before reading thetext; identify and describe characters; compile a chart of adjectives to describe characters’feelings at various points in a story; or compare the theme of the story with that ofanother the group has read.

Guided Writing. In guided writing, teachers provide direct instruction on aspects of thewriting process, as well as supplying direct supports for English language learners writ-ing in English. These supports may include furnishing sentence starters or words toinclude in writing, providing a paragraph or essay outline to help students structuretheir writing, or presenting models of successful writing in various genres or forms.

During a guided-writing activity, the teacher first provides pre-writing activities, such as a group brainstorm on what should be included in a piece of writing. The teacherthen takes students through the process of producing a piece of writing by first model-ling the process in a think-aloud and then perhaps creating a shared piece of writingwith the whole class. Students then engage in their individual writing process, while the teacher may provide focused mini-lessons to small groups or individuals who arehaving difficulty with particular aspects of the writing. During the guided-writingprocess, the teacher will also provide opportunities for students to engage in peer editing, self-editing, and revision of their writing.

Information-Gap Communication Games. In these activities, often done in pairs, studentsshare information with each other in order to solve a problem or arrive at a decision. Ininformation-gap activities, students exchange new information, rather than respondingto questions in class about material they have already covered.

Information-gap activities can focus on content concepts, vocabulary items, or gramma-tical structures currently being studied by the class. For example, in pairs, students canconstruct a timeline of events leading up to Canadian Confederation, with one-half ofthe historical events randomly assigned to each student. It is essential that partners donot show their information to each other. Instead, they must use their oral English com-munication skills to convey information to their partner in order to reconstruct the entiretimeline. These games are sometimes called barrier games, because student pairs mayuse a physical barrier such as a file folder to hide their information from each other.

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Further examples of information-gap games include the following: one student orders aseries of pictures on a grid, and communicates orally to a partner how to order the sameset of pictures without the partner being able to see the original order; or one student,using a map, gives directions to a partner about how to find various points of interest intheir city or town that are not marked on the partner’s map.

Jigsaw. Jigsaw is a cooperative group activity in which one segment of a learning task isassigned to each member of a small group (the “home” group). All home group membersthen work to become an “expert” in their aspect of the task in order to teach the othergroup members. Jigsaw activities push all students to take equal responsibility for thegroup’s learning goals. Jigsaw activities can be done in both listening and reading formats.

In a jigsaw reading activity, each student becomes a member of an “expert” group, whichreads a certain section of a text. Experts then return to their home groups to share infor-mation and thus build a complete picture of the entire text. Each expert must ensure thatall members of the home group understand all the information. In a jigsaw listeningactivity, each expert listens to a different oral excerpt of information. The home group thencompiles the components into an overall report, such as a description of the habitats ofvarious Canadian animals, or a brief overview of various First Nation peoples acrossCanada.

Journal Writing. Journal writing is a technique that encourages students to producecopious amounts of writing while also giving them the opportunity to reflect on theirexperiences and learning. Journal entries can be personal and private responses to stu-dents’ own experiences and thoughts, or they can be shared with a teacher or journalbuddy, creating a flowing, written dialogue between two partners. Another type of jour-nal response is the “in-role” journal, in which students maintain a journal in the voice ofa character from a story or novel and convey the character’s reactions and feelings as thestory unfolds.

Prompts for student journal writing can be drawn from literature being studied, classroomtopics and current issues, events in the lives of students, or questions or open-endedstatements presented by the teacher. When responding to student journal entries, theteacher should focus on the content rather than any errors in the writing. A journal is notthe place for correcting students’ grammar mistakes. Teacher responses should providegood written English-language models, sensitive prompts for more writing, and overallencouragement for the journal-writing process.

English language learners at the beginning stages of acquiring English should be encour-aged to maintain a journal in their first language. As English proficiency develops, studentswill feel more comfortable moving to a dual-language format and, finally, to keeping anEnglish-only journal.

K-W-L. K-W-L, which stands for Know, Want to Know, Learned, is a strategy that helps students build background knowledge and plan for further learning and research. TheK-W-L strategy gives teachers a picture of the class level of background knowledge on aparticular topic so that gaps can be addressed. It also helps students prepare to learnabout the topic or theme.

To complete a K-W-L chart, the teacher asks students what they think they already knowabout a topic and fills in the K column with their responses. Then the teacher promptsthe students to state what they would like to know about the topic, and adds thesedetails to the W (middle) column. At the end of the lesson or unit, the students reviewwhat they have learned. This summation will complete the L (final) column of the chart.

In order to activate students’ background knowledge and stimulate their curiosity, teachers can supply pictures, maps, models, and objects related to the topic to be studied.When the teacher initiates the K-W-L chart, students will be eager to offer what theyknow and to delve further into the topic as their interest is provoked by the prompts theteacher has supplied.

Language-Experience Approach. In this instructional strategy, students collectively com-pose a written text based on an experience they have had. An excellent method for usewith beginning readers, the language-experience approach allows students to see theconnections between their actual experiences and the spoken and written language,while reading texts that are immediately meaningful to them.

Students first participate in an experience such as a school tour, art lesson, science expe-riment, or field trip. The teacher then engages the class in a discussion of the experienceand records the students’ dictated words and sentences about the experience to create ashort text or story on chart paper or an overhead transparency.

Teachers can utilize class-created language-experience stories for many purposes, includ-ing highlighting sound-symbol relationships, grammatical structures, word formations,and vocabulary study. The stories can be incorporated into class and school newslettersor compiled into individual student booklets for rereading and illustration.

Learning-Strategy Instruction. Learning strategies are techniques that facilitate the processof understanding, retaining, and applying knowledge. Making learning strategies expli-cit so that students can apply them successfully to both language and content learning is a powerful classroom technique. Through building a repertoire of learning strategiesthat they can use in reading, writing, and vocabulary development, English languagelearners take more responsibility for their own language learning and success in school.Examples of learning strategies include: using mnemonic devices to remember newwords; using a highlighter to emphasize important information when reading; preparingcue cards to study for a test; and observing peers to learn more about Canadian cultureand language.

To help students become aware of their own learning processes and increase their reper-toire and use of learning strategies, the teacher can prepare a questionnaire or survey togather information on how students complete an assignment on time, learn and retainnew words, or organize and learn from their notes. Class discussion then generates alarger class list of strategies, to which the teacher may add additional techniques andtips. The teacher can then round out the experience by asking students to write a reflec-tion on growth and changes that have occurred in their learning process as a result ofthe application of new learning strategies.

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Literature Circles. Also known as literature study groups or book clubs, literature circlesprovide an opportunity for a group of readers to get together to talk about a book indepth. The literature circle allows students to engage in natural and motivating talkabout books while sharing ideas in a small-group setting.

Teachers can structure a variety of activities for the literature circle: for example, a “parking lot” for thoughts and feelings about the book; questions to stimulate thinkingabout the text and guide discussion; and concluding activities such as book talks, dramaticpresentations, or visual art that illustrates or interprets the text.

Literature circles offer an excellent forum for English language learners to become familiarwith ways of talking about literature as they share their responses to books and connectcharacters and themes in books to their own lives.

Personal Dictionaries. This strategy allows individual English language learners to buildvocabulary that is significant to them and relevant to their needs. Students can compiletheir personal dictionaries thematically or alphabetically, and can embellish them withaids such as bilingual translations, visuals, and even accompanying pronunciation tapesmade with the aid of a first-language English speaker. A personal environmental printcollection is another form of personal dictionary helpful to students at the beginningstages of English literacy development.

Students can be encouraged to extend the personal dictionary into a vocabulary journalin which they jot down associations with words, common accompanying adjectives, andcontexts in which they have heard or read the words.

A personal dictionary task for more advanced learners might be to compile a personalthesaurus with lists of different and more specific words to express nuances of very general words: for example, move (crawl, jump, slither) or say (whisper, shout, mumble).

Role Play. Role play allows students to simulate a variety of situations, using differentregisters of language for different purposes and audiences. Through role plays, Englishlanguage learners can practise English as it is used in situations outside the classroom,such as in job interviews, meetings, and formal gatherings. The role-play strategy alsoallows students to take different perspectives on a situation, helping them to developsensitivity and understanding by putting themselves in the shoes of others.

Even students who are at the beginning stages of English language learning can partici-pate in role-play activities – for example, by choosing a non-verbal role-play format, orby sticking closely to the script of a simple folk tale or story read in class. For students at more advanced levels of English proficiency, a “vocabulary role play”, into which the student must creatively integrate certain vocabulary items, can create an enjoyablechallenge.

An important phase in any role-play activity is the follow-up. Debriefing after a roleplay allows students to analyse the role-play experience and the language used, and tomake suggestions for other language choices in future situations.

Sentence Frames. A sentence frame is an open-ended model of a particular sentence pattern into which students can insert various words to complete the sentence. Sentenceframes help beginning English language learners to develop vocabulary as well as anawareness of English sentence structure. Teachers can introduce sentence frames to focuson various sentence structures such as questions: Where is the ___________ ?; or repeatedactions: Every day at 9:00, I ___________ ; every day at 10:00 I ___________ .

Students can compile their frame sentences into individual illustrated books; construct aclass pattern book on a shared theme such as favourite school subjects or sports; or createclass poems using sentence frames that can be read in rhythm (e.g., I like___________ ,but I don’t like ___________ ).

Strategic Use of First Language. Strategic use of students’ first languages in the classroomallows students the opportunity to build bridges between concepts they already know intheir home language and the English words for those concepts.

There are many ways to integrate the strategic use of students’ first languages into class-room activities. The following are some examples:

A small group of speakers of the same language can brainstorm ideas and informa-tion on a new topic in their first language before the whole class brainstorms inEnglish.

Students can write a first draft of a composition in their first language before moving on to a draft version in English.

Students can collect articles from multilingual media sources on a common topicbefore reading about the topic in English.

Students can write bilingual stories, folk tales, and autobiographies and thenrecord them on tape in English and the first language.

Students can create multilingual websites with multilingual captions and articles.

A class can develop school or community information and orientation materials ina variety of community languages.

Surveys and Interviews. English language learners can engage in meaningful oral commu-nication with each other and with others outside the classroom through the completionof surveys and interviews. Students can collect information on many topics and issues:for example, how classmates spend their time during an average day; languages andcountries of origin represented in the school; favourites from the world of music,movies, or television; health and wellness lifestyle choices; steps that classmates andfriends are taking to decrease energy consumption; and cultural studies such as currentpopular Canadian names for babies or new slang terms popular with peers.

Students need to prepare for, conduct, and follow up on surveys and interviews by formulating questions; using oral interaction to collect data; and organizing, displaying,and interpreting the results.

Interviews and surveys provide opportunities for authentic interaction with a wide variety of speakers, as well as occasions for students to investigate behaviours and opinions in order to increase their cultural knowledge of Canadian society.

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Think-Aloud. In the think-aloud strategy, the teacher models out loud the strategies thatgood readers use when dealing with complicated texts, or demonstrates orally variousstrategies that writers use to think about and organize their writing. The think-aloudstrategy gives students a chance to “get inside” the thought processes behind the use ofreading and writing strategies.

For example, the teacher reads aloud a brief passage to the class and describes in detailhis or her own thinking process when an unknown word is encountered, includingusing information from context clues and background knowledge that could help incomprehending the new word. Or, when teaching writing, the teacher models aloud thestrategies used in writing an employment-search cover letter while composing the letteron a chart, overhead transparency, or data-projector display. During this process, theteacher verbalizes for students the step-by-step composition of the letter, while deliber-ately describing the strategies, vocabulary, and content chosen in the process of writingthe letter.

Total Physical Response. Total Physical Response is based on recreating the processthrough which very young children acquire their first language. Young children learningtheir first language always listen and acquire language before they are ready to speak.Toddlers often develop comprehension through carrying out actual physical actions, andare not pressured to speak before they are ready.

In the Total Physical Response technique, the teacher models a series of actions whilerepeating commands or instructions for carrying out the actions. The students carry outthe actions while the teacher speaks and models the actions. Gradually, the teacher with-draws modelling of the actions, and the students respond physically to the English com-mands or instructions, slowly internalizing the English words and structures. Languagelearning is thus facilitated through body movement in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

There are many ways to implement the Total Physical Response strategy for beginningEnglish language learners. Teachers can lead students through a series of actions such asthe following:

pointing to or rearranging a series of objects

drawing lines, figures, or pictures

sequencing a series of pictures

carrying out a process such as completing a morning grooming routine, checking e-mail, opening a locker, or heating liquid in a Bunsen burner in chemistry class

Total Physical Response sequences can form the basis for language-experience storywriting. Another extension is in storytelling, in which students first listen to a story readand acted out by the teacher, after which groups act out the story on their own as theteacher retells it to the class.

Whole-Class Response. This strategy allows the teacher to involve all students in theclass in giving responses to review questions. It supplies information to the teacherabout which students are having difficulty while allowing all English language learnersto participate in a low-stress, linguistically adapted activity that is fun for everyone.

Before beginning a question or review session, students create response cards with content-specific words, symbols, or pictures from the lesson. Information on the cardscould consist of English vocabulary items, geographical names or features, scientific ormathematical terms, or even the words yes and no. Then, in response to the teacher’squestions or prompts, students hold up the appropriate card or combination of cards. Asimilar whole-class response activity can be done using individual dry-erase boards ormagnetic letter boards.

Word Walls. Word walls are lists of words displayed in the classroom for vocabularydevelopment and word study. They can be arranged alphabetically or thematically, andare often accompanied by drawings, photographs, and other visuals and/or by wordequivalents in other languages. A prominent word wall on a classroom unit of studyprovides constant reference to and reinforcement of the vocabulary needed to under-stand the unit.

Teachers can use the word wall as a springboard for word sorting and categorization,spelling activities, and the study of prefixes, suffixes, and word families.

PLANNING ESL AND ELD PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS Classroom teachers are the key educators of students who have special education needs.They have a responsibility to help all students learn, and they work collaboratively withspecial education teachers, where appropriate, to achieve this goal. Special EducationTransformation: The Report of the Co-Chairs with the Recommendations of the Working Tableon Special Education, 2006 endorses a set of beliefs that should guide program planningfor students with special education needs in all disciplines. Those beliefs are as follows:

All students can succeed.

Universal design and differentiated instruction are effective and interconnectedmeans of meeting the learning or productivity needs of any group of students.

Successful instructional practices are founded on evidence-based research, tempered by experience.

Classroom teachers are key educators for a student’s literacy and numeracy development.

Each student has his or her own unique patterns of learning.

Classroom teachers need the support of the larger community to create a learningenvironment that supports students with special education needs.

Fairness is not sameness.

In any given classroom, students may demonstrate a wide range of learning styles andneeds. Teachers plan programs that recognize this diversity and give students perform-ance tasks that respect their particular abilities so that all students can derive the greatestpossible benefit from the teaching and learning process. The use of flexible groupings forinstruction and the provision of ongoing assessment are important elements of programsthat accommodate a diversity of learning needs.

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In planning ESL and ELD courses for students with special education needs, teachersshould begin by examining the current achievement level of the individual student, thestrengths and learning needs of the student, and the knowledge and skills that all stu-dents are expected to demonstrate at the end of the course in order to determine whichof the following options is appropriate for the student:

no accommodations2 or modifications; or

accommodations only; or

modified expectations, with the possibility of accommodations; or

alternative expectations, which are not derived from the curriculum expectationsfor a course and which constitute alternative programs and/or courses.

If the student requires either accommodations or modified expectations, or both, the relevant information, as described in the following paragraphs, must be recorded in his or her Individual Education Plan (IEP). More detailed information about planningprograms for students with special education needs, including students who requirealternative programs and/or courses, can be found in The Individual Education Plan (IEP):A Resource Guide, 2004 (referred to hereafter as the IEP Resource Guide, 2004). For a detaileddiscussion of the ministry’s requirements for IEPs, see Individual Education Plans: Standardsfor Development, Program Planning, and Implementation, 2000 (referred to hereafter as IEPStandards, 2000). (Both documents are available at http://www.edu.gov.on.ca.)

Students Requiring Accommodations OnlySome students are able, with certain accommodations, to participate in the regular coursecurriculum and to demonstrate learning independently. Accommodations allow accessto the course without any changes to the knowledge and skills the student is expected todemonstrate. The accommodations required to facilitate the student’s learning must beidentified in his or her IEP (see IEP Standards, 2000, page 11). A student’s IEP is likely toreflect the same accommodations for many, or all, subjects or courses.

Providing accommodations to students with special education needs should be the firstoption considered in program planning. Instruction based on principles of universaldesign and differentiated instruction focuses on the provision of accommodations tomeet the diverse needs of learners.

There are three types of accommodations:

Instructional accommodations are changes in teaching strategies, including styles of presentation, methods of organization, or use of technology and multimedia.

Environmental accommodations are changes that the student may require in theclassroom and/or school environment, such as preferential seating or special lighting.

Assessment accommodations are changes in assessment procedures that enable thestudent to demonstrate his or her learning, such as allowing additional time tocomplete tests or assignments or permitting oral responses to test questions (seepage 29 of the IEP Resource Guide, 2004, for more examples).

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2. “Accommodations” refers to individualized teaching and assessment strategies, human supports, and/or individualized equipment.

If a student requires “accommodations only” in ESL or ELD courses, assessment andevaluation of his or her achievement will be based on the appropriate course curriculumexpectations and the achievement levels outlined in this document. The IEP box on thestudent’s Provincial Report Card will not be checked, and no information on the provi-sion of accommodations will be included.

Students Requiring Modified ExpectationsSome students will require modified expectations, which differ from the regular courseexpectations. For most students, modified expectations will be based on the regularcourse curriculum, with changes in the number and/or complexity of the expectations.Modified expectations represent specific, realistic, observable, and measurable achieve-ments and describe specific knowledge and/or skills that the student can demonstrateindependently, given the appropriate assessment accommodations.

It is important to monitor, and to reflect clearly in the student’s IEP, the extent to whichexpectations have been modified. As noted in section 7.12 of the ministry’s policy docu-ment Ontario Secondary Schools, Grades 9 to 12: Program and Diploma Requirements, 1999,the principal will determine whether achievement of the modified expectations consti-tutes successful completion of the course, and will decide whether the student is eligibleto receive a credit for the course. This decision must be communicated to the parentsand the student.

When a student is expected to achieve most of the curriculum expectations for thecourse, the modified expectations should identify how the required knowledge and skillsdiffer from those identified in the course expectations. When modifications are so extensivethat achievement of the learning expectations (knowledge, skills, and performance tasks)is not likely to result in a credit, the expectations should specify the precise requirements ortasks on which the student’s performance will be evaluated and which will be used to gener-ate the course mark recorded on the Provincial Report Card.

Modified expectations indicate the knowledge and/or skills the student is expected todemonstrate and have assessed in each reporting period (IEP Standards, 2000, pages 10and 11). The student’s learning expectations must be reviewed in relation to the stu-dent’s progress at least once every reporting period, and must be updated as necessary(IEP Standards, 2000, page 11).

If a student requires modified expectations in ESL or ELD courses, assessment and eval-uation of his or her achievement will be based on the learning expectations identified inthe IEP and on the achievement levels outlined in this document. If some of the stu-dent’s learning expectations for a course are modified but the student is workingtowards a credit for the course, it is sufficient simply to check the IEP box on theProvincial Report Card. If, however, the student’s learning expectations are modified tosuch an extent that the principal deems that a credit will not be granted for the course,the IEP box must be checked and the appropriate statement from the Guide to theProvincial Report Card, Grades 9–12, 1999 (page 8) must be inserted. The teacher’s com-ments should include relevant information on the student’s demonstrated learning ofthe modified expectations, as well as next steps for the student’s learning in the course.

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ANTIDISCRIMINATION EDUCATION IN PROGRAMS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS The implementation of antidiscrimination principles in education influences all aspectsof school life. It promotes a school climate that encourages all students to work to highstandards, affirms the worth of all students, and helps them strengthen their sense ofidentity and develop a positive self-image. It encourages staff and students alike to valueand show respect for diversity in the school and the wider society. It requires schools toadopt measures to provide a safe environment for learning, free from harassment, violence,and expressions of hate. Antidiscrimination education encourages students to think criticallyabout themselves and others in the world around them in order to promote fairness,healthy relationships, and active, responsible citizenship.

The ESL and ELD program provides many opportunities to support the principles relat-ing to antidiscrimination education. The ESL and ELD program should enable studentsto recognize the contributions of various cultures to Canada including the unique role ofAboriginal people in the historical and cultural development of the country. The wealthof linguistic and cultural diversity in ESL and ELD classrooms allows students to shareinformation with each other about their own languages and cultures and about theirexperiences of their native countries and as newcomers to Canada. This will help studentsto develop a sense of personal identity and belonging. Teachers should seek to provideinclusive learning resources and materials representing diverse cultures, backgrounds,and experiences in order to reinforce students’ self-identity. Both students and teachersshould explore aspects of intercultural communication – for example, how different cul-tures interpret the use of eye contact and body language in conversation and during presentations. Teachers should be aware of global events that may affect students andthat can also be used as opportunities for instruction.

Resources should be chosen not only to reflect the diversity of the student population butalso on the basis of their appeal for both girls and boys in the classroom. Recent interna-tional research has shown that many boys are interested in informational materials, suchas manuals and graphic texts, as opposed to works of fiction, which are often moreappealing to girls. Both sexes read Internet materials, such as website articles, e-mail,and chat messages, outside the classroom. Me Read? No Way! A Practical Guide toImproving Boys’ Literacy Skills (available on the Ministry of Education website) providesa number of useful literacy strategies that focus on engaging boys in reading and writingand that can enhance the learning environment for both girls and boys.

In the ESL and ELD program, students develop the ability to detect negative bias andstereotypes in literary texts and informational materials. They also learn to use inclusiveand non-discriminatory language in both oral and written work.

Active, responsible citizenship involves asking questions and challenging the status quo.The ESL and ELD program leads students to look at issues of power and justice in socie-ty, and empowers them by enabling them to express themselves and to speak out aboutissues that strongly affect them.

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LITERACY, MATHEMATICAL LITERACY, AND INQUIRY/RESEARCH SKILLS Literacy, mathematical literacy, and inquiry/research skills are critical to students’ successin all subject areas of the curriculum and in all areas of their lives.

The Ministry of Education has produced or supported the production of a variety of liter-acy resource documents that teachers may find helpful as they plan programs based onexpectations outlined in this curriculum document. These resource documents includethe following:

Think Literacy Success, Grades 7–12: Report of the Expert Panel on Students at Risk inOntario, 2003

Think Literacy: Cross-Curricular Approaches, Grades 7–12 – Reading, Writing,Communicating, 2003

Think Literacy: Cross-Curricular Approaches, Grades 7–12 – Subject-Specific Examples:Media, Grades 7–10, 2005

Think Literacy: Teacher Librarians, Grades 7–9

Think Literacy: Cross-Curricular Approaches, Grades 7–12 – Subject-Specific Examples:English as a Second Language/English Literacy Development, Part I, 2004

Think Literacy: Cross-Curricular Approaches, Grades 7–12 – Subject-Specific Examples:English as a Second Language/English Literacy Development, Part II, 2005

The ESL and ELD curriculum reinforces and enhances certain aspects of the mathematicscurriculum. For example, clear, concise communication often involves the use of dia-grams, charts, tables, and graphs, and the ESL and ELD curriculum emphasizes stu-dents’ ability to understand, interpret, and use graphic texts. Teachers may find the fol-lowing resources useful in this context:

Leading Math Success: Mathematical Literacy, Grades 7–12: The Report of the ExpertPanel on Student Success in Ontario

TIPS for English Language Learners in Mathematics, Grades 7, 8, 9 Applied, 10 Applied

All of the resources cited are available on the Ministry of Education website, atwww.edu.gov.on.ca.

Inquiry is at the heart of learning in all subject areas. In ESL and ELD courses, studentswill develop their ability to pose questions and to explore a variety of possible answersto those questions. Students will develop research skills in order to locate, extract, andorganize information for learning projects and goals. They will learn how to locate rele-vant information in a variety of print and electronic sources, including books and articles,manuals, newspapers, websites, databases, tables, diagrams, and charts. As they advancethrough the course levels, students will be expected to use these sources with increasingsophistication, including acquiring the ability to reword information to avoid plagiarism.They will also be expected to cite and evaluate critically the sources they use in theirresearch.

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THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL LIBRARY IN ESL AND ELD PROGRAMS The school library program can help to build and transform students’ knowledge to support lifelong learning in our information- and knowledge-based society. The schoollibrary program supports student success across the language curriculum by encouragingstudents to read widely, teaching them to read for understanding and enjoyment, andhelping them to improve their research skills and to use information gathered throughresearch effectively. The school library program enables students to:

develop a love of reading for learning and for pleasure;

acquire an understanding of the richness and diversity of literary and informa-tional texts produced in Canada and around the world;

obtain access to programs, resources, and integrated technologies that support allcurriculum areas;

understand and value the role of public library systems as a resource for lifelonglearning;

obtain access to materials in their first language that will help clarify concepts andsupport their learning while they are developing proficiency in English.

The school library program plays a key role in the development of information literacyand research skills. In collaboration with classroom or content-area teachers, teacher-librarians develop, teach, and provide students with authentic information and researchtasks that foster learning, including the ability to:

locate, select, gather, critically evaluate, create, and communicate information;

use the information obtained to solve problems, make decisions, build knowledge,create personal meaning, and enrich their lives;

communicate their findings for different audiences, using a variety of formats andtechnologies;

use information and research with understanding, responsibility, and imagination.

THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN ESL AND ELD PROGRAMS Information and communications technologies (ICT) provide a range of tools that cansignificantly extend and enrich teachers’ instructional strategies and support students’language learning. Computer programs can help students collect, organize, and sort thedata they gather, and write, edit, and present reports on their findings. Information andcommunications technologies can also be used to connect students to other schools, athome and abroad, and to bring the global community into the local classroom.

Whenever appropriate, therefore, students should be encouraged to use ICT to supportand communicate their learning. For example, students working individually or ingroups can use computer technology and/or Internet websites to gain access to muse-ums and archives in Canada and around the world. Students can also use digital cam-eras and projectors to design and present the results of their research to their classmates.

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Teachers, too, will find the various ICT tools useful in their teaching practice, both forwhole class instruction and for the design of curriculum units that contain variedapproaches to learning to meet diverse student needs.

Although the Internet is a powerful learning tool, there are potential risks attached to itsuse. All students must be made aware of issues of Internet privacy, safety, and respon-sible use, as well as of the ways in which this technology is being abused – for example,when it is used to promote hatred.

CAREER EDUCATION English language learners require special attention in the area of career education. Thesestudents need guidance in exploring the full range of educational and career opportuni-ties available to them in their new country and/or educational setting. In addition tooffering classroom activities that build on the strengths, abilities, and language that students bring with them, teachers should adapt career education materials as neededand provide students with career-related opportunities such as career research, job shadowing, and field trips.

COOPERATIVE EDUCATION Cooperative education and other workplace experiences, such as job shadowing, fieldtrips, and work experience, enable students to apply the skills they have developed inthe classroom to real-life experiences. Cooperative education and other workplace experiences also help to broaden students’ knowledge of employment opportunities ina wide range of fields. In addition, students develop their understanding of workplace

practices, certifications, and the nature of employer-employee relations.

English language learners need special consideration and support in order to takeadvantage of the opportunities offered by cooperative education and other workplaceexperiences. Their level of proficiency in English and their experience in Canadian society must be considered in order to place them appropriately in cooperative educa-tion, work experience, and community service programs. The adults with whom stu-dents will interact need to be sensitive to the students’ needs as newcomers to Canada.Some students may benefit from being placed with mentors from their own culture whocan serve as role models and who can provide support and guidance in the students’first languages as well as in English. English language learners also bring valuable tal-ents to the community and the workplace, and their language backgrounds and culturalknowledge may be a special asset. For example, with appropriate training, students maybe able to provide valuable bilingual services in the school or in neighbouring elemen-tary schools.

Health and safety issues must be addressed when learning involves cooperative educa-tion and other workplace experiences. Teachers who provide support for students inworkplace learning placements need to assess placements for safety and ensure that students understand the importance of issues relating to health and safety in the work-place. Before taking part in workplace learning experiences, students must acquire theknowledge and skills needed for safe participation. Students must understand their

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rights to privacy and confidentiality as outlined in the Freedom of Information andProtection of Privacy Act. They have the right to function in an environment free fromabuse and harassment, and they need to be aware of harassment and abuse issues inestablishing boundaries for their own personal safety.

Students should be informed about school and community resources and school policiesand reporting procedures with respect to all forms of abuse and harassment. Policy/ProgramMemorandum No. 76A,“Workplace Safety and Insurance Coverage for Students in WorkEducation Programs” (September 2000), outlines procedures for ensuring the provisionof Health and Safety Insurance Board coverage for students who are at least fourteenyears of age and are on placements of more than one day. (A one-day job-shadowing orjob-twinning experience is treated as a field trip.) Teachers should also be aware of theminimum age requirements outlined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act for per-sons to be in or to be working in specific workplace settings. Relevant ministry policies areoutlined in Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning: Policies andProcedures for Ontario Secondary Schools, 2000.

All cooperative education and other workplace experience will be provided in accordancewith the ministry’s policy document entitled Cooperative Education and Other Forms ofExperiential Learning: Policies and Procedures for Ontario Secondary Schools, 2000.

THE ONTARIO SKILLS PASSPORT AND ESSENTIAL SKILLS Teachers planning programs in ESL and ELD need to be aware of the purpose and bene-fits of the Ontario Skills Passport (OSP). The OSP is a bilingual, Web-based resource thatenhances the relevance of classroom learning for students and strengthens school−workconnections. The OSP provides clear descriptions of “Essential Skills”, such as ReadingText, Writing, Computer Use, Measurement and Calculation, and Problem Solving, andincludes an extensive database of occupation-specific workplace tasks that illustrate howworkers use these skills on the job. The Essential Skills are transferable, in that they areused in virtually all occupations. The OSP also includes descriptions of important workhabits, such as working safely, being reliable, and providing excellent customer service.The OSP is designed to help employers assess and record students’ demonstration ofthese skills and work habits during their cooperative-education placements. Studentscan use the OSP to identify the skills and work habits they already have, plan furtherskill development, and show employers what they can do.

The skills described in the OSP are the Essential Skills that the Government of Canadaand other national and international agencies have identified and validated, throughextensive research, as the skills needed for work, learning, and life. The Essential Skillsprovide the foundation for learning all other skills and enable people to evolve withtheir jobs and adapt to workplace change. For further information on the OSP and theEssential Skills, visit: http://skills.edu.gov.on.ca.

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HEALTH AND SAFETY IN ESL AND ELDStudents who are recent arrivals from other countries may need special health and safetyinformation while they are learning the language of instruction. The ESL and ELD programshould include health and safety topics, especially in Level 1 and 2 courses. For example,students should learn to read warning signs and notices and respond appropriately tothem, and should be made familiar with emergency procedures at school and in thecommunity. Some newcomer students who are adjusting to new foods and ways of buy-ing, storing, and preparing food need information about nutrition and food shopping(e.g., expiry dates, nutritional labelling). Other topics that should be covered includeappropriate names for parts of the body and biological processes, and health-care serv-ices. It is important to value cultural differences in these areas while ensuring that stu-dents receive key information related to their health and well-being.

Beginning learners of English in courses in technological education, social science andhumanities, health and physical education, the arts, and science will need special instruc-tion regarding safety procedures. A peer who speaks a student’s first language or ashared common language may be partnered with the newcomer to provide assistancewhen necessary. Signs and notices in students’ own languages and/or visual illustrationsof safety procedures will also be helpful.

Emotional health is as important as physical health and safety. The experience of immi-gration, even in the best of circumstances, involves feelings of loss and disorientation formany. ESL and ELD programs should include topics related to the adjustment processthat students experience during their first few years in a new country. As well, teachersneed to be especially sensitive to the special needs of students who have experienced the effects of war, the death of family members, family separation, and traumatic flightfrom situations of extreme danger.

Health and safety issues may come to the fore when learning involves field trips. Out-of-school field trips provide an exciting and authentic dimension to English lan-guage learners’ school experiences. They also take the teacher and student out of thepredictable classroom environment and into unfamiliar settings. Teachers must previewand plan activities and expeditions carefully to protect students’ health and safety.

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COURSES

This course builds on students’ previous education and language knowledge to introduce them to the English language and help them adjust to the diversity intheir new environment. Students will use beginning English language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing for everyday and essential academic purposes. They will engage in short conversations using basic English languagestructures and simple sentence patterns; read short adapted texts; and write phrases and short sentences. The course also provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to begin to adapt to their new lives in Canada.

English as a Second LanguageESL Level 1Open ESLAO

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LISTENING AND SPEAKING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English for a variety of purposes;

2. use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes;

3. use correctly the language structures appropriate for this level to communicate orally in English.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Listening for Specific Information1.1 demonstrate comprehension of specific infor-

mation in simple directions, instructions, andshort classroom presentations on personal andfamiliar topics, with contextual and visualsupport (e.g., respond non-verbally to classroomdirections; follow a series of Total PhysicalResponse commands to arrange objects; followdirections to order a group of pictures; retell keyevents from a simple story read aloud; arrangesymbols on a map while following a short, visually supported teacher presentation)

Listening to Interact1.2 demonstrate understanding of clearly articu-

lated, simple English on personal and familiartopics in highly structured interactive situa-tions (e.g., answer questions about personalinformation, interests, and experiences; partici-pate in paired and small-group exchanges onfamiliar topics; take part in a think-pair-sharesession)

By the end of this course, students will:

Speaking to Interact2.1 engage in simple spoken interactions on per-

sonal and familiar topics (e.g., ask and respondto simple questions about name, age, family,

favourite school subjects, weather, leisure activi-ties, and places and services in the community;express likes and dislikes related to particularfood, music, and recreational activities; play sim-ple interactive games such as “Broken Telephone”or “Twenty Questions”)

Using Conversational Strategies2.2 use a few familiar conversational expressions

and simple non-verbal communication cues to negotiate simple spoken interactions (e.g.,simple courtesy expressions such as “Please”,“Thank you”, “I’m sorry”, “Can I help you?”;attention-getting expressions such as “Excuseme”, “Could I please have …” ; conversation-closing expressions such as “It was nice to meetyou”, “Sorry, I have to go now”; non-verbal cuessuch as nodding and head shaking)

Speaking for Academic Purposes2.3 present ideas and information orally for aca-

demic purposes in simple, highly structuredsituations (e.g., identify science equipment andexplain content area concepts such as geometricshapes and mathematical operations while refer-ring to a student-created poster; tell part of astory in a round-robin storytelling activity; retellkey events from a photo montage or picturesequence)

Teacher prompt: “Please tell the class fivefacts (or things) about your topic. Use yourposter to help you explain.”

2. Developing Fluency in Speaking

1. Developing ListeningComprehension

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By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures of

spoken English appropriate for this level (seethe Language Reference Chart for ESL Level 1 on pages 68–69)

Teacher prompt: “How do you make theword ‘chair’ show more than one (or plural)?How do you make the word ‘water’ plural?How are they different? Why?”

Sound Patterns3.2 use appropriately a few basic pronunciation,

stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns of spoken English to communicate meaningaccurately (e.g., distinguish between short andlong vowels [lip/line]; consonants and conso-nant clusters [tea/tree/three]; and voiced andunvoiced consonants [bit/pit]); finish statementswith falling intonation and questions with rising intonation)

Teacher prompt: “Listen to my voice when Iread these questions. What do you hear atthe end of each question? Move your handsto show what my voice does.”

Communication Strategies3.3 use a few basic clarification strategies appro-

priately to bridge gaps in spoken communi-cation (e.g., use gestures and mime to clarifymeaning; ask for repetition when they do notunderstand a message)

3. Developing Accuracy in Speaking

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READING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts for different purposes;

2. use a variety of reading strategies throughout the reading process to extract meaning from texts;

3. use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary;

4. locate and extract relevant information from written and graphic texts for a variety of purposes.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Reading a Variety of Texts1.1 read a few different types of simple texts

designed or adapted for English languagelearners (e.g., written instructions, group language-experience stories, simple personalinformation forms, brief information paragraphs,levelled readers)

Demonstrating Understanding1.2 demonstrate an understanding of simple texts

in a variety of ways (e.g., follow a recipe; parti-cipate in a group retell activity; order words orsentence strips in a pocket chart; match Canada’sprovinces and territories with their capital cities)

Responding to and Evaluating Texts1.3 respond to simple texts created or adapted

for English language learners (e.g., create a pictorial representation of a story; write a journalentry about a text; take part in a dramatictableau or an enactment of a text in reader’s theatre)

Text Forms1.4 identify the characteristics of some simple

text forms (e.g., instructions: numbered steps;telephone and address listings: alphabetical orderby surname; timetables: date, name of activity;product labels: expiry date, bar code; checklists:columns and rows; greeting cards: identification of purpose, such as “birthday”, “thank you”; simple poems: line breaks, end-of-line rhymes)

Literary Elements1.5 identify some simple literary elements in

short prose texts and simple poems on fami-liar topics (e.g., rhyming words, descriptiveadjectives, repeated words)

Teacher prompt: “What words do you seerepeated (or used again and again or usedmore than one time) in this poem? Why doyou think the author repeated those words?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Reading Strategies2.1 use a few reading comprehension strategies

before, during, and after reading to under-stand texts (e.g., preview vocabulary; create keyquestions as a class before reading; brainstormand relate prior knowledge and experiences totopics in texts; apply sight recognition and pho-netic decoding to read words and sentences; usepictorial clues to predict meaning; reread keywords to clarify meaning)

Teacher prompt: “How does the picture helpyou to understand or guess what the para-graph (or written text) will be about?”

Text Features2.2 identify some features of simple texts that

help convey meaning (e.g., titles, headlines,illustrations and photographs, captions andlabels, charts, graphs, symbols, page numbers,table of contents)

2. Using Reading ComprehensionStrategies

1. Reading for Meaning

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Connecting Devices2.3 identify a few simple connecting devices and

transition words that are used to show rela-tionships among ideas in simple texts (e.g.,numbered or bulleted steps in a process or list;transition words such as “and”, “but”, “then”,“because”)

Grammatical Structures2.4 demonstrate an understanding of the gram-

matical structures of English used in textsappropriate for this level (see the LanguageReference Chart for ESL Level 1 on pages 68–69)

By the end of this course, students will:

Vocabulary Building Strategies3.1 use a few simple vocabulary acquisition

strategies to build vocabulary (e.g., use picturesand illustrations to clarify meaning; make wordlists of personally relevant vocabulary [“locker”,“hockey”, “mosque”]; compile thematic lists ofkey concept vocabulary for classroom study[“journal”, “topic”, “assessment”]; use bilingualstories to infer meanings of English words)

Teacher prompt: “What strategies help you(what do you do) to learn and remembernew words?”

Word Recognition Strategies3.2 recognize simple patterns of word structure

and use them to determine the meaning ofunfamiliar words (e.g., regular and irregularplural noun endings, regular present and pasttense verb endings, regular comparative andsuperlative adjective endings)

Use of Resources3.3 use a few different resources to determine

and/or confirm the meaning of unfamiliarwords (e.g., use pictorial and bilingual diction-aries, classroom word walls, and personal wordbanks to confirm or clarify meaning; checkmeaning with a first-language partner)

By the end of this course, students will:

Locating Information4.1 locate key information relating to the school

and community in a variety of simple texts(e.g., posters, notices, telephone directories, web-sites, schedules, diagrams, maps, first-languagesources such as multilingual school handbooks)

Extracting and Organizing Information4.2 extract and organize key facts from informa-

tional texts designed or adapted for beginninglearners of English (e.g., find words in learnerdictionaries by using alphabetical order; completea simple chart of First Nation peoples in Canadaand the regions where they originated)

Critical Thinking4.3 identify the source of information used (e.g.,

Ministry of Transportation map of Ontario;Citizenship and Immigration Canada brochure;Internet schedule of local transit company; store or company flyer)

4. Developing Research Skills

3. Developing Vocabulary

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WRITING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. write in a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences;

2. organize ideas coherently in writing;

3. use correctly the conventions of written English appropriate for this level, including grammar, usage,spelling, and punctuation;

4. use the stages of the writing process.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Academic Purposes1.1 write short texts to convey information and

ideas for academic purposes using a few simple forms (e.g., create a group language-experience story about a tour of the school; writeand sequence captions for a series of photographsof a class activity; compose a guided autobio-graphical narrative; complete a short cloze passage using a word bank; write an acrostic or concrete poem following a model)

Personal Purposes1.2 write short texts to express ideas and feelings

on personal and familiar topics using a fewsimple forms (e.g., create greeting cards; write e-mail messages to classmates and e-pals; com-plete a summer school registration form; write a simple postcard to a friend; write a brief tele-phone message or note; produce a journal entryfollowing a model)

Community and Workplace Purposes1.3 write short texts to communicate basic personal

information and ideas using a few simple forms(e.g., fill in an application for a library card ortransit pass; request brochures and informationfrom online agencies; compile a personal “to-do”list for the first months at school; compose athank-you note for a class visitor using sentencescaffolds)

By the end of this course, students will:

Organizing Ideas2.1 organize information in chronological, sequen-

tial, or spatial order in a scaffolded paragraph(e.g., write about daily routines and descriptionsof home or classroom using a teacher-providedmodel; write travel directions or the procedure for opening a locker using sentence scaffolds)

Linking Ideas2.2 use connecting devices and transition words

and phrases to show simple chronological,sequential, spatial, and causal relationships(e.g., use simple connectives such as “and”,“then”, “after” to link ideas; use modifiers such as “beside”, “under”, “on the right side” to indicate spatial relationships; use “because” to indicate cause and effect)

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures and

conventions of written English appropriate forthis level (see the Language Reference Chart forESL Level 1 on pages 68–69)

3. Developing Accuracy in Writing

2. Organizing Ideas in Writing1. Writing for Different Purposes

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Spelling Strategies3.2 use some simple spelling strategies to spell

words accurately (e.g., consult class word wallsand personal word lists of high-frequency words;employ common and predictable English sound-symbol relationships and spelling patterns)

By the end of this course, students will:

Using Pre-writing Strategies4.1 use a few pre-writing strategies to generate

vocabulary and develop and organize ideasfor writing (e.g., brainstorm and record ideas ona topic; view non-narrative films and visuals forinformation; use their first language to generateideas; draw or sketch to formulate thoughts)

Teacher prompt: “How does jotting (or writ-ing) down ideas in your first language helpyou to prepare (or get ready) for writing?”

Producing Drafts4.2 produce draft pieces of writing, following a

model provided by the teacher (e.g., sentenceframes; a model paragraph; a cloze paragraph; a scaffolded paragraph)

Revising and Editing4.3 revise, edit, and proofread drafts, using teacher-

directed strategies (e.g., use a teacher-preparedchecklist; participate in a teacher-student conference)

Publishing4.4 use a few elements of effective presentation

to publish a final product (e.g., legible printingand cursive writing, titles, margins, spacing,drawings, captions, simple labels, different fontsizes and colours to attract the eye)

Metacognition4.5 identify and use a few writing strategies

before, during, and after writing, and reflectafter writing on the strategies they foundmost helpful (e.g., respond to teacher promptsduring a writing conference; use a vocabulary list for quickly referring to new words)

Teacher prompt: “How did our conference(or meeting, talk) help you with your writing?”

4. Using the Writing Process

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SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND MEDIA LITERACY

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. use English and non-verbal communication strategies appropriately in a variety of social contexts;

2. demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and of the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society;

3. demonstrate knowledge of and adaptation to the Ontario education system;

4. demonstrate an understanding of, interpret, and create a variety of media texts.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Register 1.1 determine and use the appropriate language

register in a few social and classroom contexts(e.g., use common social greetings and courtesieswith peers and teachers; obtain a teacher’s atten-tion in an appropriate manner; take turns withpeers in conversations and classroom discussions;conclude a brief conversation in an appropriatemanner)

Non-verbal Communication1.2 use a few non-verbal communication cues

appropriately in classroom contexts (e.g.,use an appropriate speech volume to suit the particular situation; nod to indicate agreement;make appropriate eye contact with teachers and classmates)

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge About Canada2.1 demonstrate knowledge of some basic facts

about Canada (e.g., identify Canada’s regions,provinces, territories, and capital cities; identifysome Canadian symbols, animals, attractions,and sports; communicate information about common Canadian observances and holidayssuch as Remembrance Day and Canada Day)

Canadian Citizenship2.2 demonstrate knowledge of a few basic elements

of Canadian citizenship (e.g., explain the sym-bolism of the Canadian flag; say or sing the wordsto the Canadian national anthem; demonstrateawareness of and respect for diversity of culture,language, physical and intellectual ability, age,gender, and sexual orientation; identify elementsthat should be included in a code of behaviourfor a Canadian classroom)

Canadian Diversity2.3 communicate information about some basic

social forms and practices that may vary from culture to culture (e.g., naming customs,forms of address, relationship to elders, respon-sibilities within the home, celebrations)

Teacher prompt: “How did you get yourname? What does your name mean in yourlanguage?”

2. Developing Awareness of Canada,Citizenship, and Diversity

1. Using English in Socially andCulturally Appropriate Ways

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Knowledge of the Ontario Secondary SchoolSystem3.1 describe a few procedures and rules in use

in the Ontario secondary school system (e.g., school attendance procedures, emergencyprocedures, the school code of conduct, appropri-ate dress at school, appropriate ways to addressschool staff, responsibility for textbooks and lockers, procedures for field trips)

Teacher prompt: “What are some rules wealways follow in this school?”

Study Skills and Strategies3.2 use appropriate notebook conventions and

formats in all subject areas (e.g., dates, titles,headings, dividers)

Strategies for the Cooperative Classroom3.3 work cooperatively with a partner or in a

group (e.g., use appropriate behaviour in coedu-cational, mixed age, or mixed cultural groupings,including showing equal respect for male andfemale classmates)

Knowledge of School and Community Resources3.4 identify a few school and community resources

that are available to support learning (e.g., keyschool staff and locations, school guidance ser-vices, school settlement workers, newcomerresources available from www.settlement.org,school and public libraries)

Teacher prompt: “How can you find schooland community resources (or help, services,information) in your home (or first) lan-guage? Can you bring some in to share withthe class?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Understanding Media Texts4.1 view, read, and listen to simple media texts to

obtain information and complete assignedtasks (e.g., report the weather as forecast on tele-vision; compile sports scores from the newspaper;obtain transportation schedules from websites;scan flyers to price school supplies)

Interpreting Media Texts4.2 identify the purpose and intended audience

of a few different types of media texts (e.g.,advertising flyers, travel brochures, settlementservices pamphlets, DVDs, websites)

Creating Media Texts4.3 create simple media texts for a few different

purposes (e.g., posters or brochures about theschool or community, a collage on first impres-sions of Canada)

3. Adapting to School Life in Ontario 4. Developing Media Knowledge and Skills

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This chart shows the structures that students are expected to learn through work done in all four strands.These structures should be taught in context rather than in isolation (e.g., as part of a food unit, studentslearn the difference between count and non-count nouns by surveying the foods found in their homes).

I. Grammatical Structures

Language Reference Chart – ESL Level 1

Nouns count: singular and plural of regular and high-frequency irregular nouns (e.g., table/tables, child/children)

non-count (e.g., water, money, bread, coffee, sugar)

possessive form of proper nouns (e.g., Pablo’s hat)

articles a, an, the

Numbers cardinal

ordinal (e.g., first, fifth, twentieth)

Pronouns subject: I, you, he, she, it, we, they

object: me, you, him, her, it, us, them

demonstrative: this/these, that/those

impersonal expressions: It + be (e.g., It’s noisy in the classroom.)

Verbs be (e.g., I am a student.)

there is/are

have (e.g., I have a sister.)

can: for ability and permission (e.g., I can dance. I can go to the dance.)

simple present (e.g., I live in Canada.)

simple past regular verbs (e.g., They talked to me.)

simple past high-frequency irregular verbs (e.g., He came late.)

simple future (e.g., We will meet in the library.)

present progressive (e.g., She is sitting.)

contractions with be, do (e.g., She’s sitting. We don’t like that music.)

imperative forms (e.g., Come in. Sit down.)

let’s (e.g., Let’s ask the teacher.)

Adjectives possessive: my, your, his, her, its, our, their

high-frequency (e.g., red, big, rainy, young, Canadian, round)

comparative/superlative (e.g., taller/tallest; happier/happiest)

some, any, every, all

Adverbs used to modify adjectives (e.g., very tall, really late)

some adverbs of frequency and time (e.g., today, always, never, sometimes, then)

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I. Grammatical Structures (continued)

Transition wordsand phrases

conjunctions: and, but, or, because

Question forms yes/no (e.g., Are you a student? Yes, I am/No, I’m not. Do you live in Canada? Yes,I do/No, I don’t. Did they talk to you? Yes, they did/No, they didn’t. Will you joinour group? Yes, I will/No, I won’t.)

information questions: what, where, when, who, why, how

Negation be in simple present (e.g., He is not here/He isn’t here.)

do (e.g., We don’t like that. It doesn’t work. We didn’t watch the game.)

will (e.g., They won’t eat these cookies.)

Prepositions of location (e.g., in, on, at, under, beside, on the right/left)

of direction (e.g., to, from)

of time (e.g., at, before, after, on, in)

Sentences simple sentence: subject + verb + object or prepositional phrase (e.g., She reads books. She reads in the classroom.)

II. Conventions of Print

Punctuation final punctuation: period, question mark, exclamation mark

apostrophe: contractions and possessive forms (e.g., He’s buying a hat. The boy’s hat is red.)

Capitalization first word in a sentence (initial capitalization)

proper nouns (e.g., names of people and places)

This course extends students’ listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in Englishfor everyday and academic purposes. Students will participate in conversations instructured situations on a variety of familiar and new topics; read a variety of textsdesigned or adapted for English language learners; expand their knowledge ofEnglish grammatical structures and sentence patterns; and link English sentences tocompose paragraphs. The course also supports students’ continuing adaptation to the Ontario school system by expanding their knowledge of diversity in their newprovince and country.

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LISTENING AND SPEAKING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English for a variety of purposes;

2. use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes;

3. use correctly the language structures appropriate for this level to communicate orally in English.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Listening for Specific Information1.1 demonstrate comprehension of specific

information in directions, instructions, andclassroom presentations on familiar and newtopics, with contextual and visual support(e.g., follow directions in barrier language games;obtain specific information over the telephonesuch as bus departure times, entertainmentschedules, and business opening and closinghours; list key ideas from school announcements;complete a graphic organizer with informationfrom a classroom presentation)

Listening to Interact1.2 demonstrate understanding of clearly articu-

lated, simple English on personal and familiartopics in structured interactive situations (e.g.,use the telephone to check prices of Science Fairproject materials; participate in a “Find SomeoneWho” activity; interview a classmate in order tointroduce him or her to the larger group)

By the end of this course, students will:

Speaking to Interact2.1 engage in structured spoken interactions on

personal and familiar topics (e.g., play barrierlanguage games; participate in an inside-outsidecircle; offer and respond to greetings, invitations,compliments, and apologies)

Using Conversational Strategies2.2 use some common conversational expressions

and appropriate non-verbal communicationcues to negotiate structured spoken interac-tions (e.g., non-verbal cues such as nodding,maintaining eye contact, and making encourag-ing noises; polite expressions of agreement suchas “Right”, “That’s fine”, “Sure”; expressions ofapology or regret such as “I’m sorry about that”,“I’ll try not to ...”)

Teacher prompt: “Think about a time whenyou needed to apologize (or say ‘sorry’) to afriend. What expressions (or words) did youuse? What else can you say in this situation?”

Speaking for Academic Purposes2.3 present ideas and information orally for aca-

demic purposes in structured situations (e.g.,use subject-specific or key vocabulary to explainthe solution to a mathematics problem or todescribe aspects of traditional life of someAboriginal peoples; tell a brief story about animaginary or real event following a model provided by the teacher)

2. Developing Fluency in Speaking1. Developing ListeningComprehension

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Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures of

spoken English appropriate for this level (see the Language Reference Chart for ESLLevel 2 on pages 80–81)

Teacher prompt: “Tell your partner about atime when you felt like the character in thisnovel. Remember to use the past tense whenyou are talking about something that hap-pened before.”

Sound Patterns3.2 use appropriately some basic pronunciation,

stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns of spo-ken English to communicate meaning accu-rately (e.g., pronounce final consonant sounds inpast-tense verbs [liked, wanted, answered] and in plurals [books, pens, wishes]; stress the firstsyllable of most compound words [backpack, cupcake, toothpaste]; articulate consonant soundsfor increased comprehensibility [tank, thank])

Communication Strategies3.3 use some basic clarification and repair strate-

gies to bridge gaps in spoken communication(e.g., ask for confirmation that a word used iscorrect; use pause fillers, such as “Well … um …oh …”, to gain time to organize thoughts; startagain using different phrasing when listenersseem confused; use rehearsed phrases from a listof learned expressions)

3. Developing Accuracy in Speaking

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READING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts for different purposes;

2. use a variety of reading strategies throughout the reading process to extract meaning from texts;

3. use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary;

4. locate and extract relevant information from written and graphic texts for a variety of purposes.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Reading a Variety of Texts1.1 read a number of different types of literary,

informational, and graphic texts designed oradapted for English language learners (e.g.,folk tales from diverse cultures; letters; informa-tional books and series; materials with graphs,tables, and charts; levelled readers; poetry)

Demonstrating Understanding1.2 demonstrate an understanding of a number of

different types of adapted texts in a variety ofways (e.g., sequence events in a story; participatein teacher-led discussions about texts; retell con-tent; complete a cloze passage; state the mainidea of a short, adapted text containing familiarvocabulary and content)

Responding to and Evaluating Texts1.3 respond to simplified or adapted texts in a

variety of ways (e.g., explain why they like aparticular book; participate in an informal classdiscussion about a text; compose an “in-role”diary based on a story character; explain how a text relates to their personal experience)

Text Forms1.4 identify the characteristics of a number of

different text forms (e.g., salutation and closingin a personal letter, sequence of information in a classified advertisement, the “five W’s” format of a simple newspaper article, dialogue in a narrative)

Teacher prompt: “What are some characteris-tics of a newspaper article? What are some ofthe differences between this newspaper articleand an article in your first language?”

Literary Elements1.5 identify a number of literary elements in short

prose, poems, and dialogues (e.g., evocativedescriptions of setting, adjectives that create amood or describe character traits, the syllable patterns of a haiku)

Teacher prompt: “Which words in the firstparagraph tell you that this is a sad story?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Reading Strategies2.1 use a number of reading comprehension stra-

tegies before, during, and after reading tounderstand texts (e.g., activate prior knowledgethrough a concept web; preview visually support-ed text; use graphophonic cues to construct mean-ing; guess meanings of unfamiliar words usingcontext clues)

Text Features2.2 identify specific features of adapted texts and

use them to locate and extract information(e.g., table of contents, index, glossary, tables,charts, diagrams, maps, headlines, title page,icons, text box)

Teacher prompt: “What is the purpose of thecoloured box on page ___?”

2. Using Reading ComprehensionStrategies

1. Reading for Meaning

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Connecting Devices2.3 identify some common connecting devices

and transition words and phrases that areused to show relationships among ideas inadapted texts (e.g., first, second, finally; since;similar to, different from)

Grammatical Structures2.4 demonstrate an understanding of the gram-

matical structures of English used in textsappropriate for this level (see the LanguageReference Chart for ESL Level 2 on pages 80–81)

By the end of this course, students will:

Vocabulary Building Strategies3.1 use a number of vocabulary acquisition stra-

tegies to build vocabulary (e.g., use contextclues to infer meaning; use word order in a sen-tence to help determine meaning; find a synonymfor an unfamiliar word; create a notebook ofvocabulary related to various subject areas suchas mathematics or a branch of technologicalstudies)

Word Recognition Strategies3.2 use knowledge of patterns of word structure

to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words(e.g., a familiar word within a compound word,common prefixes and suffixes, word families)

Teacher prompt: “What English word do yousee inside this larger word? How does know-ing the meaning of the smaller word help youto figure out the meaning of this new word?”

Use of Resources3.3 use a number of different resources to deter-

mine and/or confirm the meaning of unfamil-iar words (e.g., refer to personal word banks ornotebooks and learner and bilingual dictionaries;do word category sorts from classroom wordwalls; check meaning with a partner)

By the end of this course, students will:

Locating Information4.1 locate information for a variety of purposes in

simplified or adapted informational andgraphic texts selected in collaboration withthe teacher-librarian (e.g., abridged or modifiedversions of science and geography series, onlinedatabases, first-language sources)

Extracting and Organizing Information4.2 extract information from informational and

graphic texts designed or adapted for Englishlanguage learners, and organize it using agraphic organizer (e.g., complete a T-chart ofCanadian political parties and their leaders; label a diagram of the food chain)

Critical Thinking4.3 compare information from a number of

sources on a topic for a classroom researchassignment (e.g., print and electronic magazines;newspapers; television and radio broadcasts; arange of media for different cultural groups; general and subject-specific encyclopaedias)

4. Developing Research Skills

3. Developing Vocabulary

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WRITING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. write in a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences;

2. organize ideas coherently in writing;

3. use correctly the conventions of written English appropriate for this level, including grammar, usage,spelling, and punctuation;

4. use the stages of the writing process.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Academic Purposes1.1 write short texts to convey information and

ideas for academic purposes using a numberof forms (e.g., write a scaffolded paragraphabout familiar content-area information; createan autobiographical timeline; compose a shortdialogue between two characters in a story; pre-pare a set of written instructions to carry out asimple science experiment; complete an adaptedinventory of learning strategies)

Personal Purposes1.2 write short texts to express ideas and feelings

on personal and familiar topics using a num-ber of forms (e.g., compose short letters to friendsand family members; write a poem modelled on a simple poem structure studied in class, such as a haiku or diamante; write thoughts in a dialogue journal exchanged with the teacher or a classmate)

Community and Workplace Purposes1.3 write short texts to communicate basic personal

information and ideas using a number of forms(e.g., compose a “lost” or “found” advertisement;complete a survey on student music preferencesor an application for a Social Insurance Number;compile a shopping list with an accompanyingrecipe for a favourite dish)

By the end of this course, students will:

Organizing Ideas2.1 organize information relating to a central idea

in a short paragraph with a topic sentence,supporting details, and a concluding sentence(e.g., follow a teacher think-aloud to write aparagraph about the variety of natural resourcesfound in Canada; recount an event such as aschool field trip using an introductory sentence,chronological order of events and details, and a concluding sentence)

Teacher prompt: “What supporting detailscan you add to explain this topic sentencemore?”

Linking Ideas2.2 use connecting devices and transition words

and phrases to link sentences and show rela-tionships between ideas and information (e.g.,use “next”, “finally” to indicate sequence; use“similar to”, “different from”, “like”, “unlike” tocompare and contrast; use “since”, “because of” to indicate cause and effect)

Teacher prompt: “What time-order (or tran-sition) words might help clarify (or showclearly) the sequence (or order) of events inyour story?”

2. Organizing Ideas in Writing1. Writing for Different Purposes

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By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures and

conventions of written English appropriate forthis level (see the Language Reference Chart forESL Level 2 on pages 80–81)

Spelling Strategies3.2 use a number of spelling strategies to spell

words accurately (e.g., spell common wordsfrom personal lists and word walls; apply rulesfor forming plurals to unfamiliar nouns; followrules for changing base words when adding common endings; apply knowledge of commonprefixes, suffixes, and word families to help spell new words; refer to bilingual dictionariesand electronic spell checkers)

Teacher prompt: “What clues tell you thatyou need to double the final consonantbefore adding ‘-ing’ to this verb?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Using Pre-writing Strategies4.1 use a number of pre-writing strategies to gen-

erate vocabulary and develop and organizeideas for writing (e.g., construct a concept webto explore the scope of a topic; use graphic organ-izers such as timelines and charts to sort andclassify information; participate in partner andgroup discussions and use guiding questions todevelop ideas)

Producing Drafts4.2 produce draft pieces of writing using a model

or template (e.g., a teacher-prepared model; student exemplars; a template for a paragraph,letter, or dialogue)

Revising and Editing4.3 revise, edit, and proofread drafts using a

number of teacher-directed and independentstrategies (e.g., use a teacher-prepared editingchecklist; participate in a peer-editing conference;reread, add, and reorder information to improveorganization)

Publishing4.4 use a number of different elements of effective

presentation to publish a final product (e.g., a cover page, different font sizes for titles andheadings, labelled diagrams, illustrations, photographs, borders)

Metacognition4.5 identify and use a number of writing strate-

gies before, during, and after writing, andreflect after writing on those they found mosthelpful (e.g., use a writer’s notebook to keeptrack of new and interesting words and ideas forwriting)

4. Using the Writing Process

3. Developing Accuracy in Writing

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SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND MEDIA LITERACY

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. use English and non-verbal communication strategies appropriately in a variety of social contexts;

2. demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and of the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society;

3. demonstrate knowledge of and adaptation to the Ontario education system;

4. demonstrate an understanding of, interpret, and create a variety of media texts.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Register1.1 determine and use the appropriate language

register in a number of social and classroomcontexts (e.g., make polite suggestions andrequests to teachers or classmates; offer apologiesto and accept apologies from friends)

Non-verbal Communication1.2 demonstrate an understanding of cultural

variations in the appropriate use of non-verbal communication cues (e.g., describe thegestures, facial expressions, or conventions of eye contact in the home culture and Canadianculture)

Teacher prompt: “When is it appropriate ornot appropriate to look someone in the eye in Canada? Is this similar or different in yourhome country?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge About Canada2.1 demonstrate knowledge of a variety of facts

about Canada (e.g., describe similarities and differences among the regions of Canada withrespect to their major economic activities,

immigration patterns, weather, geographical fea-tures, and industrial and agricultural production;complete a graphic organizer with informationabout various Aboriginal peoples across Canada)

Canadian Citizenship2.2 demonstrate knowledge about a number of

key elements of Canadian citizenship, levelsof government in Canada, and currentCanadian issues (e.g., compare key functions of municipal, provincial, and federal levels of government, the electoral process, and the mainpolitical parties in Canada; discuss some currentCanadian issues covered in the media)

Canadian Diversity2.3 demonstrate an awareness of the diversity

of languages and cultures represented in thecommunity and school (e.g., present the find-ings of a survey about first-language mediaavailable in the community; prepare a class bulletin-board display in different languages)

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge of the Ontario Secondary SchoolSystem3.1 describe a number of aspects of the Ontario

secondary school system (e.g., levels of achieve-ment and the “provincial standard”; the empha-sis on evidence-based learning; semestered ornon-semestered schedules; the credit system;ways of getting extra help; role of homework)

3. Adapting to School Life in Ontario

2. Developing Awareness of Canada,Citizenship, and Diversity

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Study Skills and Strategies3.2 identify and use appropriate time-management

techniques to organize school work (e.g., usean agenda book; follow timetables; set goals tocomplete the stages of a homework project; makeand follow plans to help meet assignment andevaluation deadlines)

Strategies for the Cooperative Classroom3.3 negotiate roles and tasks in cooperative learn-

ing activities, games, and teamwork (e.g., assumevarious roles as required in jigsaw learning groups,literature circles, or think-pair-share activities;engage in peer- and self-evaluation activities)

Teacher prompt: “What role did each personplay in the cooperative activity? How didthat person’s role help the group completethe task?”

Knowledge of School and Community Resources3.4 identify a number of school and community

resources that are available to support learn-ing (e.g., settlement agencies, school and commu-nity information meetings, school-communitypartnerships, peer-tutoring services)

By the end of this course, students will:

Understanding Media Texts4.1 view, read, and listen to a number of media

texts to obtain information and completeassigned tasks (e.g., school announcements; television, radio, and Internet news broadcasts;newspaper and magazine advertisements; shortdocumentaries about Canada; online databaseswith Canadian information and images)

Interpreting Media Texts4.2 identify features that are used to appeal to

specific audiences in a number of differenttypes of media texts (e.g., font style and size in product packages; pictures, illustrations, andcolour in a brochure; the age of people in a tele-vision commercial or photo image)

Creating Media Texts4.3 create media texts appropriate for a number

of specific purposes (e.g., an advertisement,brochure, or design for a billboard to promote a product, service, or message; a stamp to com-memorate an event in Canadian history; a bookjacket to promote a favourite story or book)

4. Developing Media Knowledge and Skills

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I. Grammatical Structures

Language Reference Chart – ESL Level 2

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Nouns count nouns: singular and plural of low-frequency irregular forms (e.g., shelf/shelves, mouse/mice, goose/geese)

compound nouns (e.g., living room, city street, golf club, pop singer)

possessive forms of singular and plural nouns (e.g., the girl’s book, the girls’ book)

articles a, an, the, or no article

gerunds for activities and pastimes (e.g., skating, swimming, fishing)

Pronouns possessive: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs

reflexive: myself, yourself, himself, herself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves

Verbs past progressive (e.g., She was waiting for the bus.)

future with going to (e.g., They’re going to be late.)

simple past of low-frequency irregular verbs (e.g., sink/sank, swim/swam,hold/held)

modals: have to, must, can (e.g., I have to go now. I must stop because I’m tired. I can send e-mails to my friends.)

there was/were

would like + noun phrase (e.g., We would like more time.)

infinitive forms after want, start, like (e.g., She wants to work.)

Adjectives noun + two adjectives (e.g., shiny, fast cars)

comparative/superlative forms + more/most (e.g., more beautiful/most intelligent)

irregular forms + comparative/superlative (e.g., better/(the) best; worse/(the) worst)

a little, a lot of, much, many

Adverbs of manner (e.g., verb + adverb: We sat quietly.)

Transition wordsand phrases

conjunctions: so, since, because, because of (e.g., He was sick, so he went home.Because he was sick, he went home. Because of his cold, he went home.)

like/unlike, similar to/different from

first, second(ly), in the beginning, as well, next, finally

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Question forms inverted word order: verb + subject (e.g., Was he studying?)

with do, can (e.g., Do you have it? Can I call you?)

“wh” questions (e.g., Where was it?)

Negation be in simple past (e.g., They were not interested. They weren’t interested.)

negative imperative (e.g., Don’t sit there.)

Prepositions with simple/ literal phrasal verbs (e.g., take off, put on, put away, turn on/off, get up, wait for, look for, look at, talk over)

Sentences compound sentence with and, but, or, because (e.g., I took the bus, but I was stilllate. He came late because the bus broke down.)

direct speech (e.g.,“I live on this street,” said Milad.)

indirect speech: no tense change (e.g., He said he lives on this street.)

II. Conventions of Print

Punctuation comma: for items in a list; for direct speech

quotation marks

period with high-frequency abbreviations (e.g., Dr., apt., hr., min.)

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This course further extends students’ skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English for a variety of everyday and academic purposes. Students willmake short classroom oral presentations; read a variety of adapted and original textsin English; and write using a variety of text forms. As well, students will expandtheir academic vocabulary and their study skills to facilitate their transition to themainstream school program. This course also introduces students to the rights andresponsibilities inherent in Canadian citizenship, and to a variety of currentCanadian issues.

English as a Second LanguageESL Level 3Open ESLCO

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LISTENING AND SPEAKING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English for a variety of purposes;

2. use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes;

3. use correctly the language structures appropriate for this level to communicate orally in English.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Listening for Specific Information1.1 demonstrate comprehension of specific infor-

mation in more detailed directions, instruc-tions, and classroom presentations, withreduced contextual and visual support (e.g.,construct or draw a model of an item based on apartner’s oral instructions; identify main ideasfrom news broadcasts; extract key concepts fromaudio webcasts and library dial-a-story services;take point-form notes on main ideas from class-room oral presentations using an outline orgraphic organizer)

Teacher prompt: “How did the use of a graphicorganizer help you to listen for and under-stand information from the presentation?”

Listening to Interact1.2 demonstrate understanding of spoken English

on familiar and content-area topics in a varietyof interactive situations (e.g., conduct a surveyof classmates about reading preferences in Englishand in their first language; participate in a small-group place-mat activity to reach agreement aboutthe accomplishments of Alexander Graham Bell;show understanding during discussions in a liter-ature circle by contributing relevant questions)

By the end of this course, students will:

Speaking to Interact2.1 engage in spoken interactions on personal and

content-area topics (e.g., contribute informationin a jigsaw group discussion on current events;share ideas in a literature circle; give feedback toa classmate in a peer-assessment activity)

Teacher prompt: “When you are going to par-ticipate in a discussion, what kind of prepara-tion do you find most helpful?”

Using Conversational Strategies2.2 use a number of conversational expressions to

negotiate spoken interactions (e.g., take turnsspeaking by using expressions such as “What doyou think about that?”, “What’s your opinion?”,“It’s _____’s turn now”, “I’d like to add…”; indi-cate understanding and sympathy with expres-sions such as “Oh no!”, “That’s too bad”, “I’msorry to hear that”; ask for clarification withexpressions such as “I’m not sure I understand”,“Would you please repeat that?”, “Pardon?”)

Speaking for Academic Purposes2.3 present ideas and information orally for aca-

demic purposes in supported situations (e.g.,make short oral presentations on familiar topicsusing appropriate elements of a classroom pres-entation format such as an introduction, question-and-answer exchange, and conclusion; explainthe points of view of different characters in anovel using a graphic organizer as a guide)

2. Developing Fluency in Speaking1. Developing ListeningComprehension

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By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures of

spoken English appropriate for this level (seethe Language Reference Chart for ESL Level 3 on pages 92–93)

Teacher prompt: “Use big to compare a carand a skateboard. Use useful to compare twoobjects in the classroom. Why are the compar-ative forms different for the two adjectives?”

Sound Patterns3.2 use appropriately a number of pronunciation,

stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns of spoken English to communicate meaningaccurately (e.g., change intonation patterns intag questions to indicate a question or confirma-tion; move syllable stress and reduce vowels indifferent words in a word family [photograph,photography, photographic])

Communication Strategies3.3 use a number of circumlocution, clarification,

and repair strategies to bridge gaps in spokencommunication (e.g., use a simple word mean-ing something close to the intended concept andinvite feedback; define the features of somethingconcrete for which they do not know or rememberthe word)

Teacher prompt: “What strategies do you use(or what do you do) when you don’t knowthe English word for an object or concept?”

3. Developing Accuracy in Speaking

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READING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts for different purposes;

2. use a variety of reading strategies throughout the reading process to extract meaning from texts;

3. use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary;

4. locate and extract relevant information from written and graphic texts for a variety of purposes.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Reading a Variety of Texts1.1 read a variety of adapted and authentic fiction-

al, informational, and graphic texts (e.g., mythsand legends from diverse cultures, readers for aspecific level, short stories, short novels, poetry,newspaper articles, brochures, textbook excerpts,informational web pages)

Demonstrating Understanding1.2 demonstrate an understanding of adapted

and authentic texts in a variety of ways (e.g.,complete an outline of an article through a jig-saw reading group process; complete a graphicorganizer showing the causes and effects of anevent described in a literary or informationaltext; maintain a learning log while reading atext)

Teacher prompt: “What strategies did youuse (or what did you do) during the jigsawreading activity to make sure that everyonein your home group understood the entire article?”

Responding to and Evaluating Texts1.3 respond to adapted and authentic texts in a

variety of ways (e.g., identify and discuss storyelements in a literature study circle; write shortbook reports; discuss personal connections withspecific passages or events in a story or book)

Teacher prompt: “Why do you think the maincharacter in the story made that decision?”

Text Forms1.4 identify the characteristics of a variety of text

forms (e.g., salutations and closings in personaland business letters; short forms in e-mail com-munications; plot and character development inshort stories and novels)

Teacher prompt: “Give some examples ofshort forms or graphics you would use in ane-mail. Write an e-mail to a partner usingsome of these examples.”

Literary Elements1.5 identify a variety of literary or stylistic

devices in short stories, poems, and novels,and describe their function (e.g., simile,metaphor, personification, foreshadowing)

By the end of this course, students will:

Reading Strategies2.1 use a variety of reading comprehension strat-

egies before, during, and after reading tounderstand texts (e.g., activate prior knowledgewith a K-W-L chart or anticipation guide; scantext for specific information; make predictionsbased on knowledge of similar texts; identifyimportant ideas to remember)

Teacher prompt: “What else can you do ifreading on or rereading does not clarify themeaning?”

2. Using Reading ComprehensionStrategies

1. Reading for Meaning

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Text Features2.2 identify specific features and/or sections

of content-area texts and use them to locateinformation and aid comprehension (e.g.,headings and subheadings, margin notes, side-bars, chapter summaries, illustrated figures,tables and charts, tables of contents, indexes,glossaries, appendices, menus, task/toolbars,hyperlinks)

Teacher prompt: “What features in this text-book help you to locate information?”

Connecting Devices2.3 identify a number of connecting devices and

transition words and phrases that are used toshow relationships among ideas in texts (e.g.,sequence, comparison, cause and effect)

Grammatical Structures2.4 demonstrate an understanding of the gram-

matical structures of English used in textsappropriate for this level (see the LanguageReference Chart for ESL Level 3 on pages 92–93)

By the end of this course, students will:

Vocabulary Building Strategies3.1 use a variety of vocabulary acquisition strat-

egies to build vocabulary (e.g., maintain a wordstudy journal; use memory and visualization strat-egies to learn new words; construct a semanticweb; as a class, compile a multilingual glossaryof content-area terms; use knowledge of cognatesto deduce the meaning of unfamiliar words)

Word Recognition Strategies3.2 use knowledge of patterns of word structure

and derivation to determine the meaning ofunfamiliar words (e.g., recognize how suffixesdifferentiate parts of speech [origin/original/originate]; infer meaning from word order in a sentence)

Teacher prompt: “What information does thesuffix on this word give you? How can youuse this information to predict the meaningof the word?”

Use of Resources3.2 use a variety of resources to determine and/or

confirm the meaning of unfamiliar words (e.g.,refer to an electronic or online bilingual dictionary;consult a dictionary for English language learners;use a classroom word wall to study how prefixesand suffixes extend word families; collaboratewith a group to learn unfamiliar vocabulary)

By the end of this course, students will:

Locating Information4.1 locate information on classroom topics from

appropriate research materials selected in consultation with the teacher-librarian, andacknowledge their sources (e.g., use encyclo-paedias and other informational texts to researchcontributions of Aboriginal and immigrant groupsto Canadian society; use online databases togather information about postsecondary careerpathways)

Extracting and Organizing Information4.2 extract information from a variety of sources

and organize it using appropriate outlinesand graphic organizers (e.g., read a short textand complete a pie graph showing the contribu-tions of various industries to Canada’s GNP;complete a Venn diagram showing the similari-ties and differences between two folk tales fromdifferent cultures)

Critical Thinking4.3 identify sources of information used and

evaluate them for reliability and point of view(e.g., online newspapers, community organizationpublications, personal Internet blogs, free localtabloids, school- and public-library websites)

4. Developing Research Skills

3. Developing Vocabulary

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WRITING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. write in a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences;

2. organize ideas coherently in writing;

3. use correctly the conventions of written English appropriate for this level, including grammar, usage,spelling, and punctuation;

4. use the stages of the writing process.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Academic Purposes1.1 write more complex texts to convey informa-

tion and ideas for academic purposes using avariety of forms (e.g., compose an informationparagraph about the contribution of Chineseimmigrants to the building of Canada’s trans-continental railroad; summarize a chapter in anovel; write a bilingual, illustrated folk tale intheir first language and English; write a shortpiece of poetry or prose to contribute to a studentliterary anthology)

Personal Purposes1.2 write more complex texts to express ideas and

feelings on personal topics using a variety offorms (e.g., compose a narrative about a personaljourney; write a poem following a model; depictan imaginary conversation between two charac-ters in a novel; set down the words to a favouritesong in their first language and provide a trans-lation with words and pictures; write a letter to a friend describing school life in Ontario)

Community and Workplace Purposes1.3 write more complex texts to communicate

information for official or personal purposesusing a variety of forms (e.g., write a coveringletter for a job application using an appropriatesalutation and closing; write a letter of complaintto a business; compile a set of instructions forcompleting a “do-it-yourself” project)

By the end of this course, students will:

Organizing Ideas2.1 organize information relating to a central idea

in a series of several linked paragraphs (e.g., acharacter sketch based on a character in a novel,a brief opinion piece based on a model, a shortinformational report)

Linking Ideas2.2 use connecting devices and transition words

and phrases to show relationships betweenideas and information in linked sentences andparagraphs (e.g., use “for example”, “another” toadd details and information; use “therefore”, “asa result of” to identify cause and effect; use “onthe other hand”, “similarly”, “both … and” toindicate comparison and contrast)

Teacher prompt: “What other transition wordsor phrases could you use to show comparisonand contrast?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures and

conventions of written English appropriate forthis level (see the Language Reference Chart forESL Level 3 on pages 92–93)

Teacher prompt: “Why did you use the pres-ent perfect tense in this sentence?”

3. Developing Accuracy in Writing

2. Organizing Ideas in Writing1. Writing for Different Purposes

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Spelling Strategies3.2 use a variety of spelling strategies to spell words

accurately (e.g., divide words into syllables; usefamiliar logographic symbols [@, &, $, ¢, ™];apply knowledge of rules for forming plurals,contractions, and possessives; confirm spellingsin learner dictionaries)

By the end of this course, students will:

Using Pre-writing Strategies4.1 use a variety of pre-writing strategies to gen-

erate vocabulary and develop and organizeideas for writing (e.g., use guiding questions to identify the purpose and audience for a pieceof writing; engage in timed writing activities;organize information from reading or researchusing a Venn diagram or flow chart; use Englishor their first language to develop ideas)

Producing Drafts4.2 produce draft pieces of writing using a num-

ber of strategies and models (e.g., a teacher-modelled think-aloud process; templates or exemplars; information organizers such as webs,charts, and tables)

Revising and Editing4.3 revise, edit, and proofread drafts using a

variety of teacher-directed and independentstrategies (e.g., use a posted list of guiding ques-tions for revision; read work in an author’s circleto receive constructive comments; use word listsand other sources to extend and enrich wordchoice)

Teacher prompt: “What similar words orphrases could you use to bring more varietyto your writing?”

Publishing4.4 use a variety of elements of effective presenta-

tion to publish a final product (e.g., point-formlayout to summarize key ideas; bolding, italics, orunderlining for emphasis; different text layouts tosuit different forms of writing)

Metacognition4.5 identify and use a variety of writing strategies

before, during, and after writing, and reflectafter writing on those they found most help-ful (e.g., choose appropriate graphic organizersfrom a list to order ideas for specific writing purposes)

Teacher prompt: “Which graphic organizersare most helpful in organizing ideas for thisparticular piece of writing?

4. Using the Writing Process

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SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND MEDIA LITERACY

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. use English and non-verbal communication strategies appropriately in a variety of social contexts;

2. demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and of the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society;

3. demonstrate knowledge of and adaptation to the Ontario education system;

4. demonstrate an understanding of, interpret, and create a variety of media texts.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Register 1.1 determine and use the appropriate language

register in a variety of social and classroomcontexts (e.g., use appropriate styles of greetingand apology to peers or teachers in classroomrole-plays; choose appropriate phrasing in a simulated telephone conversation making anappointment with a friend or school counsellor or accepting or declining an invitation from aclose friend or a new acquaintance)

Teacher prompt: “What are the differencesbetween making a request to a good friendand making a request to your supervisor atwork?”

Non-verbal Communication1.2 identify non-verbal communication cues that

are suited to specific social, academic, andworkplace contexts (e.g., greeting a friend witha “high-five” versus shaking hands with an inter-viewer; maintaining more personal space in aworkplace than at a social gathering)

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge About Canada2.1 explain the relationship between some impor-

tant aspects of geography and history andcurrent Canadian issues (e.g., the effect of riverson transportation routes and settlement patterns;the quest for self-government of Aboriginal peoples)

Canadian Citizenship2.2 demonstrate knowledge of a variety of key

facts about Canadian citizenship, levels ofgovernment in Canada, and current Canadianissues (e.g., identify the steps in the applicationprocess for Canadian citizenship; identify somerights and responsibilities of Canadian citizen-ship such as free speech, equal protection underthe law, voting, and participation on a jury;research issues such as the sustainable use of natural resources, provincial elections, or thelegalization of same-sex unions, and participatein small- and large-group discussions aboutthem)

Teacher prompt: “What differences do yousee between the system of government inCanada and that of your home country?”

2. Developing Awareness of Canada,Citizenship, and Diversity

1. Using English in Socially andCulturally Appropriate Ways

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Canadian Diversity2.3 compare and contrast the traditions and

behavioural norms of a number of culturalcommunities in Canada, including Aboriginalcommunities (e.g., gender roles, family structures,and days of significance in different culturalgroups)

Teacher prompt: “How does having knowledgeabout different groups help us as a society?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge of the Ontario Secondary SchoolSystem3.1 compare a variety of aspects of the Ontario

secondary school system to aspects of theschool system in other countries (e.g., disci-pline expectations and consequences; the role of teachers; parental involvement in school lifeand changes after students turn eighteen; thefocus on process as well as product in classroomtasks)

Teacher prompt: “How are some of the learn-ing activities in Ontario classrooms similar toand/or different from those in your homecountry?”

Study Skills and Strategies3.2 identify and use the most appropriate study

strategies for specific learning tasks (e.g., usegraphic organizers to categorize information;highlight key information for a summary; createa personal mnemonic device to remember steps in a procedure)

Strategies for the Cooperative Classroom3.3 respond appropriately and respectfully to views

that differ from their own in pair work, smallgroups, and whole-class discussions (e.g., dis-agree politely in group discussions; avoid makinggeneralizations and/or negative comments aboutthe behaviour or characteristics of groups or individuals)

Knowledge of School and Community Resources3.4 identify school and community resources rel-

evant to their learning needs and explain howto make use of them (e.g., summer school, nightschool, and virtual school classes; internationallanguage classes; the Independent LearningCentre; career counselling centres; communitycentres; school clubs and sports teams)

Teacher prompt: “What resources are avail-able in the school and community that wouldhelp you to continue to develop your firstlanguage?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Understanding Media Texts4.1 view, read, and listen to media texts to com-

pare the information available on a subject or issue in different sources (e.g., compare tele-vision, newspaper, and Internet accounts of thesame event; compare advertising from differentcompanies or stores; view the Aboriginal PeoplesTelevision Network [APTN] and compareAboriginal perspectives with perspectives inother sources)

Interpreting Media Texts4.2 analyse a variety of advertisements to identify

language and other features that are designedto appeal to specific audiences (e.g., use of rep-etition, synonyms, non-standard spellings, des-criptive words, youth-oriented slang and idioms;use of particular types of music or visuals)

Teacher prompt: “Which consumer group istargeted in this advertisement? How do youknow?”

Creating Media Texts4.3 create media texts using language and fea-

tures appropriate for the intended audience(e.g., an advertising campaign for StudentCouncil elections, a video promoting healthylifestyle choices, a website for students aboutstrategies for finding summer employment)

4. Developing Media Knowledge and Skills

3. Adapting to School Life in Ontario

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This chart shows the structures that students are expected to learn through work done in all four strands.These structures should be taught in context rather than in isolation (e.g., while conducting a survey, students focus on using comparative and superlative forms of adjectives appropriately). Some Englishlanguage learners may require reinforcement and repetition of language structures from previous courselevels in order to achieve mastery.

I. Grammatical Structures

Language Reference Chart – ESL Level 3

Nouns collective nouns (e.g., team, crowd, group, family, police, audience) + verb agreement

Pronouns indefinite: some, no, any, every + body/thing

relative: who, that, which, whose in defining relative clause (e.g., The girl who sitsbeside you plays tennis. That’s the man whose daughter sits beside you.)

Verbs simple past of low-frequency irregular verbs (e.g., sweep/swept, rise/rose,light/ lit, shine/shone)

present perfect (e.g., He has just arrived.)

past perfect (e.g., They had studied English before they arrived in Canada.)

used to (e.g., They used to eat in the cafeteria.)

modals: should, could, would (e.g., I should leave before it rains. We could do thattomorrow.)

simple passive (e.g., The book was found in the desk yesterday. Ferraris are made in Italy.)

simple use of infinitives with would like, ask, tell (e.g., I would like to go to theconcert. The teacher asked me to study hard.)

simple use of gerunds: go + ing (e.g., They are going skating.); gerund with verbsof like/dislike (e.g., She hates cooking. We love skiing.); gerund as subject (e.g.,Writing in English is hard.)

know, think, hope, believe, feel + that (e.g., I think that you are right.)

conditional: type 1 / probable (e.g., If it rains, we will stay home.)

Adjectives irregular comparative/superlative (e.g., better/best, worse/worst, more/most)

comparative using er/more + than (e.g., bigger than, more interesting than)

superlative using est/most + in/of (e.g., oldest of the group, most expensive in the store)

comparative using as … as (e.g., My plans are as important as hers.)

adjective phrases (e.g., The man in the red hat lives close to me.)

other, another, each

Adverbs verb + two adverbs (e.g., They drove very slowly through the storm.)

adjective + ly (e.g., happily, truly, extremely, beautifully)

somewhere, nowhere, anywhere, everywhere

Transition wordsand phrases

conjunctions: before, after, when, then, while, both … and, in contrast, in conclusion, yet, for example, therefore, similarly, as a result, on the other hand,at first

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Question forms information questions + some variety of tenses (e.g., When can I leave? Howhave you been?)

negative yes/no questions (e.g., Don’t you live here?)

simple tag questions (e.g., It’s hot today, isn’t it?)

Negation negation + some variety of tenses (e.g., He hasn’t finished. She shouldn’t go.)

Prepositions with (simple figurative) phrasal verbs (e.g., give up, look after, bring up, getalong, clear up, go through, hang around, hold on, point out, put down)

Sentences some variety of compound sentences

main clause + one subordinate clause (e.g., I saw lots of people when I got nearthe school.)

direct speech + correct punctuation (e.g., Juan said,“I’m late so I have to take thebus.” “I’m late so I have to take the bus,” said Juan.)

indirect speech + present tense (e.g., They said you go to the movies every week.)

indirect speech + say, tell, ask + some variety of tenses (e.g., They said he wantedyou to call.)

II. Conventions of Print

Punctuation colon before a list (e.g., Bring the following items: pen, pencil, and paper.)

parentheses (e.g., for additional information)

This course prepares students to use English with increasing fluency and accuracy inclassroom and social situations and to participate in Canadian society as informed citizens. Students will develop the oral-presentation, reading, and writing skillsrequired for success in all school subjects. They will extend listening and speakingskills through participation in discussions and seminars; study and interpret a varietyof grade-level texts; write narratives, articles, and summaries in English; and respondcritically to a variety of print and media texts.

English as a Second LanguageESL Level 4Open ESLDO

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By the end of this course, students will:

Listening for Specific Information1.1 demonstrate comprehension of specific infor-

mation in more complex directions, instruc-tions, and classroom presentations (e.g., followrecorded telephone message prompts from a bankor public-service organization; identify main ideasand relevant supporting details in classroom pre-sentations using a written outline or graphicorganizer as a guide)

Listening to Interact1.2 demonstrate understanding of more complex

spoken English on a variety of topics in inter-active situations (e.g., participate in and contri-bute to academic classroom discussions; provide a summary of a group discussion; collaborate onpreparing and presenting a skit)

Teacher prompt: “Please work in your groupto decide on the five most important pointsin the radio documentary you have justheard.”

By the end of this course, students will:

Speaking to Interact2.1 engage in more complex spoken interactions

on a variety of topics (e.g., participate in role-plays; express and defend personal preferences,

opinions, and points of view; participate in a“four corners” activity; negotiate solutions totasks and problems in small-group or pairedactivities)

Using Conversational Strategies2.2 use a variety of conversational expressions

to negotiate spoken interactions (e.g., disagreepolitely using expressions such as “That’s inter-esting, but have you thought about …?”, “Whatabout …?”, “I’m not sure I agree because …”,“That’s a good idea, but …”; make polite sug-gestions using expressions such as “Maybe wecould …”, “Why don’t we …?”, “How about …?”,“Don’t you think ...?”)

Speaking for Academic Purposes2.3 present ideas and information orally for aca-

demic purposes in a variety of situations (e.g.,plan and make oral presentations on school-related topics using subject-specific vocabulary;present a critique of a film, book, or poem)

Teacher prompt: “What kinds of facialexpressions, body language, and visualsmight improve your presentation?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures of

spoken English appropriate for this level (seethe Language Reference Chart for ESL Level 4 on pages 104–105)

3. Developing Accuracy in Speaking

2. Developing Fluency in Speaking

1. Developing ListeningComprehension

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LISTENING AND SPEAKING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English for a variety of purposes;

2. use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes;

3. use correctly the language structures appropriate for this level to communicate orally in English.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Sound Patterns3.2 use appropriately a variety of pronunciation,

stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns of spoken English to communicate meaningaccurately (e.g., stress the syllable before the suffix “-tion” [attraction, information]; changethe stressed syllable within the same word to distinguish between noun and verb form [combat/combat, addict/addict, object/object];stress the first word of compound nouns [learning strategies, essay outline, bar graph])

Communication Strategies3.3 use a variety of circumlocution, clarification,

repair, and monitoring strategies to bridgegaps in spoken communication (e.g., keep arecord of frequent mistakes and consciously monitor speech to avoid them; plan and rehearsethe language components of a task)

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By the end of this course, students will:

Reading a Variety of Texts1.1 read a wide variety of more complex, authen-

tic texts (e.g., short stories, novels, autobiogra-phies, plays, poetry, online news reports, graphs,diagrams)

Demonstrating Understanding1.2 demonstrate an understanding of more com-

plex authentic texts in a variety of ways (e.g.,conduct guided research for an assigned project;complete a T-chart with information from a text;distinguish between main ideas and supportingdetails in a report)

Teacher prompt: “How does the informationin the opening paragraph help you predictwhat will be in the rest of the report?”

Responding to and Evaluating Texts1.3 respond to more complex authentic texts in a

variety of ways (e.g., explain the reasons fortheir interest in a specific author, genre, or theme;connect ideas in a text to their own knowledge,experience, and insights; distinguish betweenfacts and opinions in an editorial; compare howtwo texts deal with the same theme)

Text Forms1.4 identify a variety of organizational patterns

used in informational texts (e.g., chronologicalorder, cause and effect, comparison and contrast,description, definition)

Literary Elements1.5 identify literary elements and devices in texts

and explain how they help convey theauthor’s meaning (e.g., cross-cultural themessuch as coming of age, creation of the universe,heroic journeys; unique character traits, plotreversals, foreshadowing, simile, metaphor)

By the end of this course, students will:

Reading Strategies2.1 use a wide variety of reading comprehension

strategies before, during, and after reading tounderstand texts (e.g., preview vocabulary; cre-ate key questions as a class before reading; brain-storm to activate related prior knowledge andexperiences; use sight recognition and phoneticdecoding techniques to read words and sentences;reread key words to clarify meaning; use pictorialclues to predict meaning; use visualization toclarify details of a character, scene, or concept)

Teacher prompt: “How does the picture helpyou to understand or guess what the para-graph will be about?”

2. Using Reading ComprehensionStrategies

1. Reading for Meaning

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OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts for different purposes;

2. use a variety of reading strategies throughout the reading process to extract meaning from texts;

3. use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary;

4. locate and extract relevant information from written and graphic texts for a variety of purposes.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Text Features2.2 identify and use a variety of features of texts

to locate information and aid comprehension(e.g., titles and subtitles, graphics, italics, bold-face type, text boxes, questions, sidebars, sum-maries, footnotes/endnotes, reference lists / workscited, back cover of novels)

Teacher prompt: “What part of the text pro-vides an explanation of the diagram on page ___?”

Connecting Devices2.3 identify a variety of connecting devices and

transition words and phrases, and explainhow they express relationships among ideasin texts (e.g., “moreover’’ for addition; “in short”for summary; “by contrast” for comparison andcontrast; “as a result” for cause and effect; “possibly” for hypothesis)

Grammatical Structures2.4 demonstrate an understanding of the gram-

matical structures of English used in textsappropriate for this level (see the LanguageReference Chart for ESL Level 4 on pages 104–105)

By the end of this course, students will:

Vocabulary Building Strategies3.1 use a variety of vocabulary acquisition strat-

egies to enrich vocabulary (e.g., develop lists ofhomonyms, synonyms, and antonyms; build aregister-difference scale – “astute, intelligent,bright, smart, with it”; apply rehearsal techniquesto learn new words)

Word Recognition Strategies3.2 use knowledge of a variety of patterns of

word structure and derivation to determinethe meaning of unfamiliar words (e.g., useknowledge of prefixes, suffixes, and word roots todifferentiate parts of speech and infer meaning)

Use of Resources3.3 use a variety of resources, including glossa-

ries, available technology, and specialized dic-tionaries, to determine and/or confirm thepart of speech, etymology, and pronunciationof words and their precise meaning in differ-ent contexts (e.g., consult a dictionary of idiomsto clarify a use not found in a regular dictionary)

By the end of this course, students will:

Locating Information4.1 locate information for guided research pro-

jects from a variety of print and electronicsources selected in consultation with theteacher-librarian, and acknowledge theirsources (e.g., online journals, informational and graphic books, online newspapers in otherlanguages)

Extracting and Organizing Information4.2 extract information for guided research projects

from a variety of sources, and organize it usinga variety of graphic organizers (e.g., complete achart with research information on appropriatelyrespectful behaviours when visiting a Hindu temple, mosque, synagogue, church, and SikhGurdwara; use a Venn diagram to identify areasof agreement in a debate on an issue)

Critical Thinking4.3 evaluate information sources to determine

their authority, reliability, and objectivity (e.g., websites, reports, newspapers, tabloids,video clips)

4. Developing Research Skills

3. Developing Vocabulary

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By the end of this course, students will:

Academic Purposes1.1 write longer and more complex texts to con-

vey information and ideas for academic pur-poses using a variety of forms (e.g., create an“autobiography” in the role of a contemporary orhistorical person; write a description of the stepsin the process of becoming a Canadian citizen;write an article on a school or community eventor issue for the school newspaper; prepare anoutline for a debate on a school, national, orinternational issue)

Personal Purposes1.2 write longer and more complex texts to express

ideas and feelings on personal topics using avariety of forms (e.g., write a narrative about animportant personal event using evocative languageto convey their mood and emotions; create a classgraffiti wall on a topic of interest; record thoughtsand feelings in a personal reflection journal; writea letter to the editor of the school newspaper sup-porting the inclusion of articles in students’ firstlanguages)

Teacher prompt: “Identify some specific wordchoices you made in your writing, and describethe effect you wanted to have on the reader.”

Community and Workplace Purposes1.3 write longer and more complex texts to com-

municate information and ideas for official orpersonal purposes using a variety of forms(e.g., a letter of application for a bursary orscholarship, a statement of intent for an appren-ticeship program or a cooperative work experience,a résumé for a summer job search)

By the end of this course, students will:

Organizing Ideas2.1 organize information relating to a central idea

in a structured composition of three or moreparagraphs (e.g., a memoir in the role of a sig-nificant Canadian, a letter giving advice to acharacter from literature studied in class, a reportshowing cause-and-effect relationships concern-ing the decline of an endangered species)

Linking Ideas2.2 use a variety of connecting devices and transi-

tion words and phrases to show relationshipsbetween ideas and information in linked sen-tences and paragraphs (e.g., use “for instance”,“in addition” to add details or examples; use“because of”, “as a result”, “for this reason” toindicate cause and effect; use “according to”, “in the opinion of” to refer to a source)

2. Organizing Ideas in Writing

1. Writing for Different Purposes

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OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. write in a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences;

2. organize ideas coherently in writing;

3. use correctly the conventions of written English appropriate for this level, including grammar, usage,spelling, and punctuation;

4. use the stages of the writing process.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures and

conventions of written English appropriate forthis level (see the Language Reference Chart forESL Level 4 on pages 104–105)

Spelling Strategies3.2 use a wide variety of spelling strategies to

spell words accurately (e.g., use mnemonics tolearn irregular or difficult spellings; highlighttricky letters or groups of letters; confirmspellings using dictionaries)

By the end of this course, students will:

Using Pre-writing Strategies4.1 use a wide variety of pre-writing strategies to

generate vocabulary and develop and organ-ize ideas for writing (e.g., activate backgroundknowledge through peer conferencing; generateideas using webs, idea logs, and other graphicorganizers; interview people about a topic; identi-fy the appropriate form to suit the purpose andaudience for a piece of writing)

Teacher prompt: “How does a brainstormingsession help you to prepare for writing?”

Producing Drafts4.2 produce draft pieces of writing using a vari-

ety of strategies and models (e.g., graphicorganizers, jot notes, report templates, studentexemplars)

Revising and Editing4.3 revise, edit, and proofread drafts using a vari-

ety of strategies (e.g., confer with teacher andpeers; participate in teacher-directed mini-lessonson points of organization or structure; use stickynotes to record ideas for revision; follow the stepsin a posted class writing guideline; consult afolder of previous drafts to confirm or rethinkdecisions made earlier)

Teacher prompt: “At what stage of editing isa peer conference most helpful?”

Publishing4.4 use a wide variety of elements of effective

presentation to publish a final product (e.g.,computer-generated graphs and charts; a glossaryof terms for a project on a specialized topic; textboxes to accompany photographs in a photoessay)

Metacognition4.5 identify and use a wide variety of writing

strategies before, during, and after writing,and reflect after writing on those they foundmost helpful (e.g., record thoughts and learningsabout writing in a writing reflection journal;maintain a writing portfolio)

Teacher prompt: “How does a review of yourwriting portfolio help you set new goals forimproving your writing?”

4. Using the Writing Process

3. Developing Accuracy in Writing

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By the end of this course, students will:

Register 1.1 determine and use the appropriate language

register in a wide variety of social and class-room contexts (e.g., use “What’s up?” with peersas compared to “Hello. How are you?” withteachers; use “Would you please repeat that?”with a supervisor as compared to “Run that byme again” with a friend or classmate; use “goingto” in formal situations, reserving “gonna” forinformal occasions)

Non-verbal Communication1.2 analyse examples of non-verbal communica-

tion to determine their appropriateness in avariety of social, academic, and workplacecontexts (e.g., the appropriateness of slouchingduring a job interview or while making an oralpresentation, or of tapping a stranger on theshoulder to get his or her attention; pushing or cutting into a line to get on a bus or to buytickets)

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge About Canada2.1 identify examples of the influence of Canada’s

history and geography on its literature and art(e.g., images of nature in Aboriginal art andGroup of Seven paintings; Celtic influences inMaritime music; portrayals of immigrant ex-periences in Canadian novels and short stories)

Canadian Citizenship2.2 demonstrate knowledge of important con-

stitutional and social policy documents inCanada and Ontario (e.g., the CanadianCharter of Rights and Freedoms; the OntarioHuman Rights Code; school board equity andantidiscrimination policies)

Canadian Diversity2.3 analyse and outline some benefits and challen-

ges of living in a society made up of diverselinguistic and cultural groups (e.g., benefitsand challenges of maintaining or not maintain-ing particular forms of ethnocultural or religiousdress at school or work, or of accommodating ornot accommodating various religious practices/traditions at school or work)

2. Developing Awareness of Canada,Citizenship, and Diversity

1. Using English in Socially andCulturally Appropriate Ways

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SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND MEDIA LITERACY

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. use English and non-verbal communication strategies appropriately in a variety of social contexts;

2. demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and of the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society;

3. demonstrate knowledge of and adaptation to the Ontario education system;

4. demonstrate an understanding of, interpret, and create a variety of media texts.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge of the Ontario Secondary SchoolSystem3.1 describe a variety of aspects of the Ontario

secondary school system that can help themachieve personal, educational, and occupa-tional goals (e.g., the learning skills outlined inthe Provincial Report Card; the assessment crite-ria outlined in the provincial achievement charts; the prerequisites for postsecondary education and training; types of courses; graduationrequirements and related terms, including “com-pulsory credit”, “transcript”, “full disclosure”,“literacy test”, “community involvement”, “diplo-ma”, “certificate of achievement”, “SpecialistHigh-Skills Major”)

Study Skills and Strategies3.2 identify and use a variety of appropriate study

and test-preparation strategies (e.g., make notes;rehearse with cue cards; use process of elimina-tion; manage time efficiently; follow directionscarefully)

Teacher prompt: “What strategies are mosthelpful when you are studying for a test orexam?”

Strategies for the Cooperative Classroom3.3 identify some essential strategies for partici-

pating in cooperative learning activities anduse them effectively to complete group tasks(e.g., listen actively; clarify directions; shareideas; plan and delegate tasks; offer constructivecriticism)

Knowledge of School and Community Resources3.4 identify school and community policies and

resources that are provided to support learn-ing and explain how to use them (e.g., schoolboard bullying and harassment policies and pro-cedures; Safe Schools policies; local organizationswhere students can volunteer in order to completetheir community service requirement; cooperativeeducation and apprenticeship programs; school-to-work transition programs)

By the end of this course, students will:

Understanding Media Texts4.1 view, read, and listen to media texts, and

identify strategies used in them to influencespecific audiences (e.g., figurative language,striking or provocative visual images, visual conventions, logos and slogans, youth-orientedmusic)

Teacher prompt: “What visual clues are usedto identify ‘good’ and ‘bad’ characters inmovies and music videos you have seenrecently?”

Interpreting Media Texts4.2 demonstrate understanding that different

media texts may reflect different points of view,and suggest reasons why particular perspec-tives are presented (e.g., marketing concernsmay influence whether media texts include orignore people of a particular age, gender, incomelevel, or ethnocultural background; news reportsof a conflict may present more than one point ofview to try to achieve the “balance” appropriatefor a general audience)

Teacher prompt: “Whose point of view ismost often presented in media texts? Why?Who is often absent from advertising in magazines and on television?”

Creating Media Texts4.3 create a variety of media texts for specific pur-

poses and audiences (e.g., a news report sum-marizing the causes and potential consequencesof a current issue such as Aboriginal land claims;an editorial to explain and support a position onan issue; an interview with a person with aphysical disability about barriers and access inpublic places for publication in a school or com-munity magazine/newspaper; a public-serviceannouncement on a current issue relevant to students such as poverty, AIDS, violence prevention, or global warming)

3. Adapting to School Life in Ontario 4. Developing Media Knowledge and Skills

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This chart shows the structures students are expected to learn through work done in all four strands. Thesestructures should be taught in context rather than in isolation (e.g., while summarizing a newspaper article,students focus on paraphrasing by using indirect speech and that clauses). Some English language learnersmay require reinforcement and repetition of language structures from previous course levels in order toachieve mastery.

I. Grammatical Structures

Language Reference Chart – ESL Level 4

Nouns abstract nouns (e.g., advice, information, beauty, knowledge, philosophy, demo-cracy) + a, an, the, or no article (e.g., He had a good knowledge of math. He hadknowledge about many things. I gave him the information about travel times.)

Pronouns indefinite: some, any, every + one

one, ones

who, which, that, whose in a relative clause (e.g., non-defining relative clause:She gave me this photo, which she had taken in Mexico. The students, who wantedto play soccer, were disappointed when it rained.)

Verbs present perfect progressive (e.g., What have you been doing?)

passive: present progressive (e.g., The game is being played today.)

passive: present perfect (e.g., The pie has been eaten.)

passive: future (e.g., The project will be finished soon.)

dual use of some nouns/verbs: produce, report, present

gerunds/ infinitives (e.g., Bullying is unacceptable. To know him is to love him.)

modals: need, may, might

conditional: type 2 / unlikely (e.g., If I had a million dollars, I would buy a largehouse.)

consistent use of verb tenses (e.g., maintain the same verb tense in a sentenceor paragraph)

Adjectives noun + three adjectives (e.g., She wore a large, blue, checked scarf.)

the + adjective (e.g., The large leather bag is mine. She bought the big red hat.)

gerund as adjective or as part of a compound noun (e.g., running water, walkingstick, diving board)

both, all, enough + of

either, neither

Adverbs formed by adding -ly to ing/ed participles (e.g., She was staring lovingly at thechild. They excitedly cheered for their team.)

of possibility (e.g., probably, possibly, definitely)

of opinion (e.g., obviously, clearly)

Transition wordsand phrases

conjunctions: yet, although, since, because of

not only … but also (e.g., She is taking not only ESLDO but also physics.)

as … as, as soon as, as well as, nearly as, just as, not quite as, whereas

moreover, in short, as a result, even though, now that, for instance, because of,by contrast, possibly, that is, in addition, for this reason

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Question forms negative forms of information questions (e.g., What doesn’t she like?)

with modals (e.g., Should she take this course?)

Negation with conjunction unless (e.g., Don’t call me unless you need help. Unless you havea permit, you can’t drive.)

Prepositions with a variety of phrasal verbs (e.g., be away, be back, be for, be over, be up; askabout, ask for, ask [someone] in, ask [someone] out)

despite, throughout, until, according to

Sentences complex, with addition of second subordinate clause (e.g., The ball, which hethrew wildly, bounced off the tree and hit Sunita, who had stepped into the park.)

complex, with relative clause(s) (e.g., She reads books that explore environmentalissues.)

indirect speech with wh questions and if (e.g., I asked him what he was doing. Weasked him if he would go to the movies.)

relative clause + that (stated or implied) (e.g., The car that was speeding causedan accident. The sweater [that] I bought was too small.)

noun clause + that (stated or implied) (e.g., I know [that] you’re smart.)

indirect speech + a variety of tenses

self-correction of common sentence errors (e.g., run-ons, fragments)

II. Conventions of Print

Punctuation hyphen

colon, semi-colon

apostrophe

quotation marks

parentheses

ellipses

This course provides students with the skills and strategies they need to make the transition to college and university preparation courses in English and other secondaryschool disciplines. Students will be encouraged to develop independence in a range ofacademic tasks. They will participate in debates and lead classroom workshops; readand interpret literary works and academic texts; write essays, narratives, and reports;and apply a range of learning strategies and research skills effectively. Students willfurther develop their ability to respond critically to print and media texts.

English as a Second LanguageESL Level 5Open ESLEO

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Listening for Specific Information1.1 demonstrate comprehension of specific infor-

mation in detailed, complex directions, instruc-tions, and classroom presentations (e.g., takedetailed notes from a group presentation on thelife and times of Shakespeare; plan future courseselections and postsecondary pathways based on apresentation by school guidance staff; summarizea short documentary, news report, or radio inter-view; participate in a group dictogloss activity toreconstruct a paragraph of text read aloud)

Listening to Interact1.2 demonstrate understanding of complex spoken

English on a wide variety of topics in inter-active situations (e.g., present a rebuttal in adebate; survey members of the community abouttheir personal Internet use; collaborate onpreparing and presenting a seminar)

By the end of this course, students will:

Speaking to Interact2.1 engage in complex spoken interactions on a

wide variety of topics (e.g., synthesize ideas in agroup discussion; negotiate solutions to problems,interpersonal misunderstandings, and disputes;conduct opinion surveys among classmates andcommunity members about a variety of topics)

Using Conversational Strategies2.2 use a wide variety of conversational expressions

to negotiate spoken interactions of all types(e.g., use “Let’s get back to work now”, “Let’sfocus”, “We’re getting off topic” to stay on topic ingroup tasks; use “by the way”, “before I forget”,“speaking of” to shift the topic; use “Do youunderstand what I mean?”, “Is that clear?”, “Doyou get it?” to check for comprehension; use “Ireally mean …”, “What I’m trying to say is …”to self-correct)

Teacher prompt: “When you have the role oftaskmaster in a group, what expressionscould you use to keep the group on task?”

Speaking for Academic Purposes2.3 present ideas and information orally for aca-

demic purposes in a wide variety of situations(e.g., explain a viewpoint on a current issue dur-ing a debate; lead a workshop or seminar; delivera radio broadcast; give an oral presentation usingnotes or a detailed script and/or visual aids)

Teacher prompt: “Can you identify the mosteffective elements in your oral presentation?How do you know they were effective? Whatwould you do differently next time?”

2. Developing Fluency in Speaking

1. Developing ListeningComprehension

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LISTENING AND SPEAKING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English for a variety of purposes;

2. use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes;

3. use correctly the language structures appropriate for this level to communicate orally in English.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures of

spoken English appropriate for this level (seethe Language Reference Chart for ESL Level 5 on pages 116–117)

Teacher prompt: “Look at these two sen-tences. How could you combine them intoone using a relative pronoun from the list onthe word wall?”

Sound Patterns3.2 use appropriately a wide variety of pronuncia-

tion, stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns of spoken English to communicate meaningaccurately (e.g., stress key content words to clari-fy meaning [“I read a book last night” versus “I read the book last night”]; use appropriatepitch and volume to indicate emphasis or to show surprise or other emotions)

Communication Strategies3.3 use a wide variety of circumlocution, clarifica-

tion, repair, and monitoring strategies to bridgegaps in spoken communication (e.g., identifyand correct slips and errors that may have causedmisunderstandings; use circumlocution and para-phrase to compensate for gaps in knowledge ofvocabulary and grammar)

3. Developing Accuracy in Speaking

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By the end of this course, students will:

Reading a Variety of Texts1.1 read a wide variety of authentic texts of in-

creased complexity on a range of topics (e.g.,textbook chapters, charts and tables, magazinearticles, essays, literary texts from a range of cul-tures, including Aboriginal cultures: short stories,novels, plays, satire, poetry)

Demonstrating Understanding1.2 demonstrate an understanding of complex

authentic texts in a variety of ways (e.g., sum-marize the key ideas in an article; write a shortessay comparing two texts; draw conclusions andmake generalizations about a text, citing support-ing evidence from the text)

Responding to and Evaluating Texts1.3 respond to complex authentic texts in a variety

of ways (e.g., give a book talk; write an in-rolediary entry for a character in a novel; suggestreasons for the point of view presented in a mag-azine essay; write a critical review of a book orarticle)

Text Forms1.4 analyse a variety of texts and explain the rela-

tionship between their form and purpose (e.g.,compare how newspapers and periodicals fromaround the world present information and useformat, layout, titles, and styles of address to ap-peal to specific audiences; determine whether abiography is objective by analysing the selectionof facts about the subject, both favourable and

unfavourable; explain how a realistic portrayalof imagined characters and actions in a novelhelps the reader become involved in the story)

Literary Elements1.5 analyse texts in a range of genres, including

essays, short stories, novels, poems, and dra-ma, to identify literary elements and explaintheir effect on the reader (e.g., cultural refer-ences to Greek or Native mythology; biblicalallusions; historical settings or allusions; subplot;imagery; conflict; metaphor and imagery in thepoems of Chief Dan George)

Teacher prompt: “Do you recognize any otherculturally specific or world mythologies inwhat you are reading? Explain.”

By the end of this course, students will:

Reading Strategies2.1 identify and use the most appropriate reading

comprehension strategies before, during, andafter reading to understand texts (e.g., previewtext; divide text into digestible sections; ask ques-tions while reading; reread to consolidate under-standing; make jot notes; sort and classify ideasusing a concept map; summarize sections of textduring reading; synthesize ideas to broadenunderstanding)

Teacher prompt: “What types of questions do you ask yourself to help monitor yourreading?”

2. Using Reading ComprehensionStrategies

1. Reading for Meaning

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OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts for different purposes;

2. use a variety of reading strategies throughout the reading process to extract meaning from texts;

3. use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary;

4. locate and extract relevant information from written and graphic texts for a variety of purposes.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Text Features2.2 identify different features of texts and explain

how they help readers understand the text(e.g., charts, graphs, and tables in subject-areatext; preface or foreword; prologues and epiloguesin novels; sidebars and illustrations in magazinearticles; website taskbars and hyperlinks; refer-ence lists / works cited)

Connecting Devices2.3 identify a wide variety of connecting devices

and transition words and phrases, and explainhow they express relationships among ideasin texts (e.g., “that is”, “i.e.” for definition orexplanation; “for example”, “e.g.” for illustration;“first … next” for sequence; “in short” for sum-mary; “by contrast” for comparison and contrast;“as a result” for cause and effect; “possibly” forhypothesis)

Grammatical Structures2.4 demonstrate an understanding of the gram-

matical structures of English used in textsappropriate for this level (see the LanguageReference Chart for ESL Level 5 on pages 116–117)

By the end of this course, students will:

Vocabulary Building Strategies3.1 use a wide variety of vocabulary acquisition

strategies to enrich and extend vocabulary(e.g., infer meaning from context; use mentalimagery to memorize words; keep a vocabularyjournal of word associations and contexts inwhich a word is heard or read; use word webs to heighten awareness of relationships amongwords and nuances of meaning that affect wordchoice)

Word Recognition Strategies3.2 use knowledge of a wide variety of patterns

of word structure and derivation to determinethe meaning of unfamiliar words (e.g., relateunfamiliar words to cognates or word families;apply knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, and root

words; interpret syntactic clues such as wordorder and part of speech; use knowledge of Latinand Greek roots to comprehend words [octagon,centimetre])

Use of Resources3.3 use a wide variety of resources, including

glossaries, available technology, thesauri, andspecialized dictionaries, to determine and/orconfirm the part of speech, etymology, andpronunciation of words and their precisemeaning in different contexts (e.g., use a dic-tionary to confirm or correct deductions aboutword meanings based on contextual clues)

Teacher prompt: “Explain how you used adictionary to understand an unfamiliar useof a familiar word.”

By the end of this course, students will:

Locating Information4.1 locate information from a wide variety of print

and electronic sources (e.g., non-fiction books,newspaper and magazine articles, Internet sites,statistics, research reports), and use it to answerstudent-generated research questions, acknow-ledging sources of information, ideas, andquotations in an approved reference list style(e.g., MLA or APA)

Extracting and Organizing Information4.2 extract information for an independent research

project from a wide variety of sources, andorganize it using a variety of graphic organiz-ers (e.g., complete a chart comparing thelifestyles of Aboriginal people living in FirstNation communities and urban environments)

Critical Thinking4.3 compare, synthesize, and evaluate the infor-

mation gathered from a variety of sources foran independent research project

Teacher prompt: “How does the author’streatment of this topic compare with treat-ments of the topic in other sources?”

4. Developing Research Skills

3. Developing Vocabulary

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By the end of this course, students will:

Academic Purposes1.1 write complex texts to convey information and

ideas for academic purposes using a widevariety of forms (e.g., write a report comparingthe environments of two regions of Canada; com-pose a formal letter to the principal about provi-ding healthy food choices in the school cafeteria;write a detailed report clearly outlining causesand effects of greenhouse gas emissions; write acoherent summary synthesizing information fromseveral different sources)

Teacher prompt: “What is the purpose ofyour writing? What form will best suit thispurpose?”

Personal Purposes1.2 write short texts to express ideas and feelings

on personal topics using a wide variety offorms (e.g., a poem responding to an event intheir lives; a short play written in a group inter-preting a contemporary event or issue of rele-vance; a manual for other newcomer students onhow to learn a language, based on their ownexperience)

Community and Workplace Purposes1.3 write complex texts to communicate informa-

tion and ideas for official or personal purposesusing a wide variety of forms (e.g., a statementof interest to accompany an application for asummer internship or apprenticeship program; a personal statement to accompany an applica-tion for a postsecondary education program)

By the end of this course, students will:

Organizing Ideas2.1 organize information in a logically structured

essay of five or more paragraphs that includesa thesis statement, body, and conclusion (e.g.,a report comparing the economies of Canada andtheir native country; a persuasive essay about the advantages of cutting down on televisionwatching; an essay that documents the barriersthat visually impaired and hearing-impairedpeople confront in daily life)

Linking Ideas2.2 use a wide variety of connecting devices and

transition words and phrases to show relation-ships between ideas and information in linkedsentences and paragraphs (e.g., use “meanwhile”,“prior to” to indicate sequence; use “despite”,“although” to compare and contrast; use “more-over”, “not only … but also” to add details andexamples; use “in conclusion”, “finally”, “to sumup” to signal closing remarks)

2. Organizing Ideas in Writing1. Writing for Different Purposes

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OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. write in a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences;

2. organize ideas coherently in writing;

3. use correctly the conventions of written English appropriate for this level, including grammar, usage,spelling, and punctuation;

4. use the stages of the writing process.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures and

conventions of written English appropriate forthis level (see the Language Reference Chart forESL Level 5 on pages 116–117)

Spelling Strategies3.2 select and use the spelling strategies and

resources most appropriate for the task tospell words accurately (e.g., prepare and usewebs of root words and related forms as a guideto spell subject-specific terms; visualize spellings;maintain a spelling journal for difficult words;confirm spellings using a variety of print andelectronic resources)

Teacher prompt: “What strategies do you useto learn and remember the spelling of new ordifficult words in English? Do you use theseor other strategies in your first language?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Using Pre-writing Strategies4.1 select and use the pre-writing strategies most

appropriate for the purpose to generate vo-cabulary and develop and organize ideas forwriting (e.g., activate prior knowledge throughpeer and group interaction; organize ideas usinggraphic organizers suited to the structure of thepiece of writing; make jot notes about backgroundreading)

Producing Drafts4.2 produce draft pieces of writing using a wide

variety of strategies and models (e.g., teacher-provided models and exemplars; research notes)

Revising and Editing4.3 revise, edit, and proofread drafts using a wide

variety of strategies (e.g., incorporate peer con-ference feedback to achieve a more effective orlogical progression of ideas; use checklists to editfor accurate use of grammar and conventions;review successive drafts to verify or reconsiderearlier decisions; self-evaluate to determine nextsteps in writing)

Teacher prompt: “Does your opening sentenceengage (catch) the interest of your audience?”

Publishing4.4 select and use the elements of effective pre-

sentation most appropriate for the purpose topublish a final product (e.g., different fonts andcolours to distinguish titles, headings, and sub-headings; a detailed table of contents for a port-folio or major project; imported Internet imagesto add interest or clarify information; text boxesto emphasize facts or ideas)

Metacognition4.5 identify and use the most appropriate writing

strategies for the purpose before, during, andafter writing, and reflect after writing on thestrategies they found most helpful (e.g., pro-duce a plan for carrying out a research project;use a thesaurus to vary vocabulary and achieveprecise expression)

3. Developing Accuracy in Writing

4. Using the Writing Process

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Register 1.1 determine and use the appropriate language

register in social and classroom contexts of alltypes (e.g., use slang in conversations with peers;use formal language in a speech or debate; demon-strate understanding of when and how it is appro-priate to use humour in social interactions)

Teacher prompt: “Imagine that you are work-ing at the cash desk in a store. How might anolder customer interpret your use of the ex-pression ‘My bad’ when you make a mistake?”

Non-verbal Communication1.2 analyse and explain instances where different

interpretations of non-verbal signals lead tomisunderstanding in a variety of social, aca-demic, and workplace contexts (e.g., role playscenarios involving intercultural misunderstand-ings of non-verbal communication, and discusshow communication could be improved)

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge About Canada2.1 discuss some aspects of Canadian-American

relations since World War II (e.g., trade agree-ments; border security; foreign affairs and international military involvement; cultural in-fluences; the influence of various prime ministersand presidents on the relationship between thetwo countries)

Canadian Citizenship2.2 explain how government policies on equity

and social justice apply to current socialissues (e.g., Aboriginal treaty rights, same-sexunions, hiring practices)

Teacher prompt: “How are the values ofCanadian society demonstrated in our government institutions and policies?”

Canadian Diversity2.3 use research and presentation skills to inform

the class about issues of concern to diversegroups in Canada (e.g., the wearing of tradi-tional dress in police services; access to Brailleand sign-language interpreter services; theimpact of profiling on various communities)

2. Developing Awareness of Canada,Citizenship, and Diversity

1. Using English in Socially andCulturally Appropriate Ways

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SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND MEDIA LITERACY

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. use English and non-verbal communication strategies appropriately in a variety of social contexts;

2. demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and of the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society;

3. demonstrate knowledge of and adaptation to the Ontario education system;

4. demonstrate an understanding of, interpret, and create a variety of media texts.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge of the Ontario Secondary SchoolSystem3.1 describe a wide variety of aspects of the

Ontario secondary school system that canhelp them achieve personal, educational, and occupational goals (e.g., assistance withpostsecondary planning and goal setting; policies on the accommodation of religious observances/practices)

Study Skills and Strategies3.2 identify appropriate and effective study skills

and test-preparation strategies, and use themto achieve their academic goals (e.g., use posi-tive self-talk to decrease anxiety; keep a learninglog of their study schedules, strategies, andachievement of goals)

Strategies for the Cooperative Classroom3.3 identify a variety of appropriate strategies for

participating in cooperative learning activities,and use them effectively to complete grouptasks (e.g., use conflict-resolution strategies;encourage participation of all group members;share decision making; show respect for diversepoints of view)

Knowledge of School and Community Resources3.4 identify a variety of school and community

policies and resources that are available tosupport learning, and explain how to usethem to achieve educational success (e.g.,TOEFL preparation classes; multilingual col-lections in libraries; postsecondary educationguides; school board Internet-use policy; publicreference libraries)

By the end of this course, students will:

Understanding Media Texts4.1 view, read, and listen to a variety of media

texts, and explain some ways in which theyinfluence society (e.g., how the ideas and imagesin various media affect social and culturalnorms, lifestyles, and gender roles)

Teacher prompt: “Which groups in Canadaare represented most positively and whichare most negatively represented in ads ontelevision and in magazines?”

Interpreting Media Texts4.2 analyse coverage of current local, national,

or global issues in a variety of media texts toidentify subjective approaches and types ofbias

Teacher prompt: “In this news report about a conflict between two countries, does thereporter favour one side over the other? Give support for your opinion.”

Creating Media Texts4.3 create a variety of media texts for specific pur-

poses and audiences, and explain how thepurpose and audience influenced their designdecisions and language choice (e.g., a classnewspaper or pamphlet to inform parents aboutthe achievements and activities of students in theclass; an advertising campaign to appeal to spe-cific consumer groups; a review of a televisionprogram, film, or artistic performance to encour-age teenagers or adults to see it)

4. Developing Media Knowledge and Skills

3. Adapting to School Life in Ontario

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This chart shows the structures students are expected to learn through work done in all four strands.These structures should be taught in context rather than in isolation (e.g., while writing a report compa-ring the economies of Canada and their native country, students work on cohesion in their writing byusing subordinate clauses in addition to transition words and phrases). Some English language learnersmay require reinforcement and repetition of language structures from previous course levels in order toachieve mastery.

I. Grammatical Structures

Language Reference Chart – ESL Level 5

Nouns special use of non-count nouns (e.g., hair, coffee, glass, wood, wine) as countnouns + a/an (e.g., He pulled out a grey hair from his moustache. Could I have acoffee, please? Pour the water into a glass. We would like to walk in a wood/woods.They enjoy a good Chilean wine.)

Pronouns relative: who, which, that, whose + relative and subordinate clauses (e.g., He hasdone all that is necessary. The film is about a spy whose best friend betrays himwhen they travel in Russia.)

reciprocal: each other

indefinite: no one

Verbs future progressive (e.g., I’ll be waiting by the door.)

future perfect (e.g., Ontario students will have earned at least thirty credits by the time they finish Grade 12.)

past perfect progressive (e.g., The students had been practising their speechesbefore the teacher entered the room.)

passive: modals (e.g., Diamonds can be mined in Canada. The plate must havebeen broken by the dog.)

passive: past perfect (e.g., The plate had already been broken before we camedownstairs.)

conditional: type 3 / condition cannot be fulfilled (e.g., If I had known that youwere coming, I would have met you at the airport.)

Adjectives adjectives + enough (e.g., He is tall enough for the basketball team.)

adjectives with nearly as … as, just as … as, not quite as … as

Adverbs position of adverbs in a sentence + effect on meaning (e.g., They secretly decidedto leave town. [The decision was secret.] They decided to leave town secretly. [Thedeparture was secret.] Honestly, he didn’t get the money. [It’s true that he didn’tget the money.] He didn’t get the money honestly. [He got the money in a dishon-est manner.])

Transition wordsand phrases

not only … but also (e.g., Not only are they taking a course this summer, but theyare also working part-time.)

as … as, as soon as, as well as, nearly as, just as, not quite as, whereas

prior to, subsequently, although, furthermore, to sum up, meanwhile, moreover,despite

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Question forms positive and negative tag questions (e.g., This course is hard, isn’t it? She waswalking quickly, wasn’t she? He won’t ask for it, will he? They have travelled a lot,haven’t they?)

Negation alternative ways of saying the same thing (e.g., He didn’t eat anything / He atenothing. They don’t ever complain / They never complain. We haven’t seenanyone / We have seen no one.)

Prepositions with a variety of phrasal verbs (e.g., break down/up/out, call for/in/on, cutdown/in/off/out/up, fall back/behind/in/out/through)

Sentences complex sentence with subordinate clauses and/or relative clauses (e.g., Whilewe were driving, we noticed a little girl who seemed lost. As she thought about him,she wondered how his new job would change their lives. Ahmed, who worked withManuel, was waiting by the car.)

indirect speech + past perfect (e.g., I asked him what he had said.)

maintaining parallel structure

II. Conventions of Print

Punctuation with a variety of defining phrases and/or relative and subordinate clauses (e.g.,Mrs. Minuk, who is the guidance counsellor, suggested [that] I take this course.)

with a variety of subordinate clauses (e.g., After I spoke to Mrs. Minuk, I decidedto apply to college.)

This course is intended for English language learners who have had limited access toschooling and thus have significant gaps in their first-language literacy skills. Studentswill use basic listening and speaking skills to communicate in English for everyday purposes; develop readiness skills for reading and writing; begin to read highly structured texts for everyday and school-related purposes; and use basic English language structures and sentence patterns in speaking and writing. The course will also help students become familiar with school routines and begin to adapt to their new lives in Canada.

English Literacy DevelopmentELD Level 1Open ELDAO

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By the end of this course, students will:

Listening for Specific Information1.1 demonstrate comprehension of specific infor-

mation in simple directions and instructionsand short classroom presentations on personaland familiar topics, with contextual and visualsupport (e.g., respond non-verbally to classroomdirections; follow directions for an emergencyprocedure; play word bingo; point to, choose, or rearrange items while listening to teacherinstructions)

Listening to Interact1.2 demonstrate understanding of clearly articu-

lated, simple English on personal and familiartopics in highly structured interactive situations(e.g., rehearse and respond to questions about personal information that students are comfortablesharing)

By the end of this course, students will:

Speaking to Interact2.1 engage in simple spoken interactions on per-

sonal and familiar topics (e.g., interview a partner about likes and dislikes; take part in ice-breakers; play simple language games; with apartner, ask and answer questions related to per-sonal information, interests, and experiences thatstudents are comfortable sharing)

Using Conversational Strategies2.2 use some familiar conversational expressions

and simple non-verbal communication cues to negotiate simple spoken interactions (e.g.,greetings such as “Hi, how are you?”; introduc-tions such as “This is my friend …”; requests forclarification such as “Pardon?”; non-verbal cuessuch as nodding encouragement)

Speaking for Academic Purposes2.3 present ideas and information orally for aca-

demic purposes in simple, highly structuredcontexts (e.g., introduce and thank a speaker inclass from a rehearsed statement; participate in a brief dialogue to simulate asking for directions;retell key events from a picture sequence, photomontage, or non-narrative film)

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures of

spoken English appropriate for this level (seethe Language Reference Chart for ELD Level 1on pages 128–129)

Teacher prompts: “What do you do everyday? What is the verb tense?” “What are youdoing now? What is the verb tense?”

3. Developing Accuracy in Speaking

2. Developing Fluency in Speaking

1. Developing ListeningComprehension

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English for a variety of purposes;

2. use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes;

3. use correctly the language structures appropriate for this level to communicate orally in English.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

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Sound Patterns3.2 use appropriately a few pronunciation, stress,

rhythm, and intonation patterns of spokenEnglish to communicate meaning accurately(e.g., distinguish between short and long vowels[lip/line], consonants and consonant clusters[tea/tree/three], and voiced and unvoiced conso-nants [bit/pit]; finish statements with fallingintonation and questions with rising intonation)

Teacher prompt: “Put your hand on yourthroat and say ‘zzz’ (as in ‘zoo’). Do you feela buzzing? Now say ‘sss’ (as in ‘Sue’). Doyou still feel the buzzing?”

Communication Strategies3.3 use a few oral communication strategies to

bridge gaps in spoken communication (e.g.,use gestures and mime to clarify meaning; ask for repetition when a message is not understood)

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By the end of this course, students will:

Reading a Variety of Texts1.1 read a few different types of simple texts, with

teacher support (e.g., traffic signs, grocery-storeflyers, calendars, environmental print, class-generated language-experience stories, rhymes,pattern books)

Demonstrating Understanding1.2 demonstrate an understanding of a few types

of simple texts, with teacher support (e.g.,sequence pictures to accompany a story; identifywords or phrases; construct models for a diorama)

Responding to and Evaluating Texts1.3 respond to simple texts in highly supported

contexts (e.g., express personal preferences aboutcharacters; make a collage of favourite foods; cre-ate a word bank of vocabulary from a website)

Teacher prompt: “How is this book like theone we read together last week? How is itdifferent?”

Text Forms1.4 identify some characteristics of a few simple

text forms (e.g., signs and symbols in the schooland community: stop signs, “school zone” signs,pedestrian crosswalk signs; telephone and addresslistings: alphabetical order by surname; calendars:rows and columns; captions for pictures; productlabels: expiry date, bar code; lists: numbers orbullets; weather reports: symbols for snow, rain,clouds, sun)

Literary Elements1.5 identify a few basic literary elements in short

prose texts and simple poems on familiar top-ics (e.g., identify rhyming words in jazz chants,songs, raps, and pattern books; demonstrateunderstanding of narrative organization [begin-ning, middle, and end] by sequencing pictures;demonstrate understanding of story settings bybuilding models or drawing pictures)

By the end of this course, students will:

Reading Strategies2.1 demonstrate understanding of reading-

readiness concepts (e.g., recognize the direction-ality of English print; identify the letters of theRoman alphabet in printed texts; demonstrateunderstanding of basic sound-letter correspon-dences; interpret pictures and use picture clues to aid comprehension), and apply a few appropriate reading strategies to:

• familiarize themselves with texts beforethey read them (e.g., activate and build onprior knowledge using pictures, other visualsupports, and teacher cues; preview key vocab-ulary and contribute to word walls; predictmeaning using pictorial clues and create ques-tions as a class)

• understand texts while they are readingthem (e.g., apply sight recognition of high-frequency words; look at images and photo-graphs to clarify meaning; track words duringa teacher read-aloud)

2. Using Reading ComprehensionStrategies

1. Reading for Meaning

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OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts for different purposes;

2. use a variety of reading strategies throughout the reading process to extract meaning from texts;

3. use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary;

4. locate and extract relevant information from written and graphic texts for a variety of purposes.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

• confirm understanding of texts after theyhave read them (e.g., retell events in a storysequentially; record key information and factsusing simple graphic organizers)

Teacher prompt: “What do the pictures tellyou about the book you are going to read?”

Text Features2.2 identify a few features of simple texts that

help convey meaning (e.g., alphabetical order,pagination, illustrations and photographs, titles,headlines, captions)

Connecting Devices2.3 identify a few simple connecting devices and

transition words that are used to show rela-tionships among ideas in simple texts (e.g.,numbers and bullets in a list; “and”, “or”, “but”,“because”)

Grammatical Structures2.4 demonstrate an understanding of the gram-

matical structures of English and conventionsof print used in texts appropriate for this level(see the Language Reference Chart for ELD Level 1on pages 128–129)

By the end of this course, students will:

Vocabulary Building Strategies3.1 use a few basic vocabulary acquisition strat-

egies to build vocabulary (e.g., use a bank ofsight words for regular reference; use picturesand illustrations to clarify meaning; make wordlists; identify sight words in simple stories; add to word walls; complete word puzzles)

Word Recognition Strategies3.2 use knowledge of simple patterns of word

structure to determine the meaning of unfa-miliar words, with teacher guidance (e.g.,rhyming patterns, sound-symbol relationships,plural endings for regular count nouns)

Teacher prompt: “Listen to these three words:‘bat’, ‘log’, ‘cat’. Which words rhyme?”

Use of Resources3.3 use a few different resources to build vocabu-

lary, with teacher support (e.g., picture diction-aries, classroom word walls, personal wordbanks)

By the end of this course, students will:

Locating Information4.1 locate key information in simple texts, with

teacher support (e.g., pictures, maps, emergencysymbols, washing instructions, traffic signs,cash-register sales receipts)

Extracting and Organizing Information4.2 extract, record, and organize key information,

with teacher support (e.g., put students’ namesin alphabetical order; record key words on aword wall)

Critical Thinking4.3 identify the source of information used for

a school project (e.g., book, agenda, calendar,dictionary, flyer, sign, magazine)

Teacher prompt: “What do you do in a firedrill? Where is this information in the class-room? Are there other signs like this in theschool? Why are these signs important?”

4. Developing Research Skills

3. Developing Vocabulary

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By the end of this course, students will:

Academic Purposes1.1 write short, simple texts to convey informa-

tion and ideas for academic purposes usinghighly scaffolded forms (e.g., label items andpictures related to home, school, food, body, orfamily; label maps of Canada; write captions for a poster; use sentence stems to write shortanswers to questions; record homework assign-ments and due dates in school agendas)

Personal Purposes1.2 write short texts to express ideas and feelings

on personal and familiar topics using a fewsimple scaffolded forms (e.g., follow teacher-prepared models to write shopping lists, shortmessages in greeting cards, brief e-mail messages)

Community and Workplace Purposes1.3 write short texts to communicate basic per-

sonal information and ideas using a few sim-ple forms (e.g., an emergency contact informa-tion form, an application for a library card, anapplication for a transit pass)

By the end of this course, students will:

Organizing Ideas2.1 organize words in simple sentences to com-

municate a central idea (e.g., use a sentencestem to compose sentences about daily routines;write captions for a poster)

Linking Ideas2.2 use a few simple transition words to show

relationships between ideas and information(e.g., and, but, after, then)

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures and

print conventions of written English appropri-ate for this level (see the Language ReferenceChart for ELD Level 1 on pages 128–129)

Spelling Strategies3.2 use a few basic spelling strategies to spell

high-frequency words accurately (e.g., locatewords on an alphabetical word wall using thefirst letter; find pictures or words in picture dictionaries; apply knowledge of common andpredictable English sound-symbol and spellingpatterns; spell words aloud; record words in apersonal word list)

By the end of this course, students will:

Using Pre-writing Strategies4.1 demonstrate understanding of writing-

readiness concepts (e.g., directionality ofEnglish print; the importance of spacing betweenletters and words; the location of text in relationto the lines on a page and margins; the printcharacters of the Roman alphabet; basic sound-

4. Using the Writing Process

3. Developing Accuracy in Writing

2. Organizing Ideas in Writing

1. Writing for Different Purposes

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OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. write in a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences;

2. organize ideas coherently in writing;

3. use correctly the conventions of written English appropriate for this level, including grammar, usage,spelling, and punctuation;

4. use the stages of the writing process.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

letter correspondence), and use a few pre-writing strategies to generate vocabulary anddevelop and organize ideas for writing (e.g.,activate prior knowledge about a topic throughbrainstorming and read-alouds; use visuals andmanipulatives, and view non-narrative films togenerate ideas; gather information from fieldtrips or shared classroom experiences)

Producing Drafts4.2 produce draft pieces of writing using vocabu-

lary and ideas from pre-writing activities,with teacher direction and modelling (e.g.,scaffolded sentences for journal writing, modelledcaptions, greeting-card templates)

Revising and Editing4.3 revise, edit, and proofread drafts, with teacher

direction and modelling (e.g., use a pocket chartto reorder words to improve clarity; discuss wordchoice and add words from a class word wall; usea simple checklist in conference with the teacher)

Publishing4.4 use a few simple elements of effective presen-

tation to publish a final product (e.g., legibleprinting or handwriting; text centred within aborder; appropriate margins and spacing; centredtitle; mounted pictures and photographs; differentfont sizes and colours)

Metacognition4.5 identify and use a few writing strategies

before, during, and after writing, and reflectafter writing on the strategies they foundmost helpful, with teacher support (e.g.,respond to teacher prompts during a writing conference)

Teacher prompt: “How did you get the ideafor your caption?”

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By the end of this course, students will:

Register 1.1 determine and use the appropriate language

register in a few social and classroom contexts(e.g., use common social greetings and courtesieswith peers and teachers; offer and/or ask forassistance to/from a peer or teacher; take turnswith peers in conversations and classroom discussions)

Non-verbal Communication1.2 use a few non-verbal communication cues

appropriately in classroom contexts (e.g., eyecontact, facial expressions, gestures, nodding)

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge About Canada2.1 demonstrate knowledge of some basic facts

about Canada (e.g., identify Canada’s regions,provinces, territories, capital cities, and currency;name some Canadian festivals and holidays;identify some Canadian symbols, animals,attractions, and sports)

Canadian Citizenship2.2 demonstrate basic knowledge about the rights

and responsibilities of groups and individualsin Canada (e.g., follow classroom and schoolcodes of conduct; identify some basic rights suchas education and health care)

Teacher prompt: “What are some rules for allstudents? Why do we have these rules?”

Canadian Diversity2.3 demonstrate an understanding and accept-

ance of the diversity in the school and com-munity (e.g., show courtesy and sensitivity inpair and group work with peers of different cul-tures and languages, or with different physicaland intellectual abilities, or of a different genderor sexual orientation)

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge of the Ontario Secondary SchoolSystem3.1 demonstrate an understanding of a few basic

aspects of the Ontario secondary school sys-tem (e.g., essential classroom and school routinesand behaviour, including appropriate ways toaddress staff, responsibility for textbooks andlockers, individual timetables, emergency proce-dures, the school code of conduct, attendance pro-cedures, appropriate dress)

3. Adapting to School Life in Ontario

2. Developing Awareness of Canada,Citizenship, and Diversity

1. Using English in Socially andCulturally Appropriate Ways

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OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. use English and non-verbal communication strategies appropriately in a variety of social contexts;

2. demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and of the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society;

3. demonstrate knowledge of and adaptation to the Ontario education system;

4. demonstrate an understanding of, interpret, and create a variety of media texts.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS Gra

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Study Skills and Strategies3.2 follow routines and use basic study skills (e.g.,

bring necessary materials to class; organize infor-mation in notebooks by writing on the lines andusing margins, titles, and dates; record key infor-mation in a planner; complete homework)

Strategies for the Cooperative Classroom3.3 work cooperatively with a partner or in a group

(e.g., use appropriate behaviour in coeducational,mixed age, or mixed cultural groupings, includ-ing showing equal respect for male and femaleclassmates)

Knowledge of School and Community Resources3.4 identify key school and community personnel

and locations (e.g., match school staff with theirjobs; map important locations in the school andcommunity)

By the end of this course, students will:

Understanding Media Texts4.1 view, read, and listen to simple media texts

to obtain information (e.g., scan supermarketflyers to compare prices; obey traffic signs;demonstrate an understanding of internationalsymbols and environmental print such as graph-ics and logos for government and communityservices; retell the story told by photographs)

Interpreting Media Texts4.2 identify different types of media texts (e.g.,

television programs, movies, documentaries,advertisements, newspapers, magazines, web-sites, video games, CDs and DVDs, comic strips,logos, billboards)

Creating Media Texts4.3 create a few simple media texts for different

purposes (e.g., collage, poster, notice, sign, greeting card, menu)

4. Developing Media Knowledge and Skills

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This chart shows the structures students are expected to learn through work done in all four strands.These structures should be taught in context rather than in isolation (e.g., as part of a procedural writingactivity, such as writing a recipe, students practise using the imperative form of verbs).

I. Grammatical Structures

Language Reference Chart – ELD Level 1

Nouns count: singular and plural (e.g., chair/chairs; bus/buses)

articles a, an, the

Numbers cardinal numbers (e.g., 1–100)

Pronouns subject: I, you, he, she, it, we, they

object: me, you, him, her, it, us, them

demonstrative: this/these, that/those

Verbs be (e.g., I am a student.)

there is/are

have (e.g., I have a sister.)

can: for ability and permission (e.g., I can dance. I can go to the dance.)

simple present (e.g., I live in Canada.)

present progressive (e.g., She is sitting.)

contractions with be, do (e.g., She’s sitting. They don’t like coffee.)

imperative forms (e.g., Sit down. Don’t sit down.)

let’s (e.g., Let’s ask the teacher.)

Adjectives high-frequency (e.g., red, big, round)

following It + be (e.g., It’s hot.)

possessive: my, your, his, her, its, our, their (e.g., That’s my book.)

Adverbs high-frequency (e.g., slowly, fast, quickly)

some adverbs of frequency and time (e.g., then, always, never, sometimes)

too

Transition wordsand phrases

conjunctions: and, but, or, because

Question forms yes/no (e.g., Do you see that stop sign? Yes, I do. No, I don’t.)

Negation be, do in simple present (e.g., He is not here / He isn’t here. We don’t like that.)

Prepositions of location (e.g., in, on, at, under, beside, on the right/left)

of direction (e.g., to, from)

of time (e.g., at, before, after, on, in)

Sentences simple sentence: subject + verb + object (e.g., I eat cookies. I watch a movie everyweekend.)

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II. Conventions of Print

Punctuation final punctuation: period, question mark

apostrophe for contractions (e.g., I’m happy.)

Capitalization first word in a sentence

names of people and places

This course is intended for English language learners who have had limited access toschooling and thus have gaps in their first-language literacy skills. Students will use theirdeveloping listening and speaking skills to communicate in English for a variety of purposes; develop reading strategies to understand a variety of simple texts; producesimple forms of writing; apply increasing knowledge of English grammatical structuresin speaking and writing; expand their vocabulary; and develop fundamental study skills.The course will also provide opportunities for students to become familiar with and useschool and community resources and to build their knowledge of Canada and diversity.

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By the end of this course, students will:

Listening for Specific Information1.1 demonstrate comprehension of specific infor-

mation in directions, instructions, and class-room presentations on familiar and new topics,with contextual and visual support (e.g., retellkey ideas from school announcements; play lan-guage games; follow oral instructions to assemblean object; complete an oral true/false quiz)

Listening to Interact1.2 demonstrate understanding of clearly articu-

lated, simple English on personal and familiartopics in structured interactive situations (e.g.,respond to questions relating to familiar topics ina role-play; play barrier games; participate inchoral speaking and singing)

By the end of this course, students will:

Speaking to Interact2.1 engage in structured spoken interactions on

personal and school-related topics (e.g., shareinformation to solve a math problem; play boardgames; plan and perform a role-play about pur-chasing an item from a store)

Using Conversational Strategies2.2 use some common conversational expressions

and non-verbal communication cues to nego-tiate structured spoken interactions (e.g., politeforms that signal agreement and disagreement,such as “Right”, “That’s fine”, “I’m not sure aboutthat”; expressions that signal admiration, such as“Awesome!”, “Amazing!”, “Wow!”; non-verbalcues, such as nodding or shrugging)

Speaking for Academic Purposes2.3 present ideas and information orally for aca-

demic purposes in structured situations (e.g.,make a short rehearsed presentation about aCanadian province or territory, referring to a student-prepared poster; participate in a think-pair-share activity on the school code of conduct;give a book talk using visual aids and realia)

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures of

spoken English appropriate for this level (seethe Language Reference Chart for ELD Level 2on pages 140–141)

3. Developing Accuracy in Speaking

2. Developing Fluency in Speaking

1. Developing ListeningComprehension

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LISTENING AND SPEAKING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English for a variety of purposes;

2. use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes;

3. use correctly the language structures appropriate for this level to communicate orally in English.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Sound Patterns3.2 use appropriately some pronunciation, stress,

rhythm, and intonation patterns of spokenEnglish to communicate meaning accurately(e.g., pronounce final consonant sounds in pasttense verbs [liked, wanted, answered] and plurals[books, pens, wishes]; place stress on the first syllable of most compound words [handshake,toothbrush, bedroom]; articulate certain conso-nant sounds for increased clarity [tank, thank])

Communication Strategies3.3 use some oral communication strategies to

bridge gaps in spoken communication (e.g.,ask for confirmation that a word used is correct;use pause fillers such as “Well … um … oh …”to gain time to organize thoughts; start againusing different phrasing when listeners seemconfused; use rehearsed phrases from a stock of learned expressions)

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By the end of this course, students will:

Reading a Variety of Texts1.1 read some different types of simple texts, with

teacher support (e.g., group language-experiencestories, readers for a specific level, simple poems,labels, advertisements, e-mail messages, simplemaps, posters)

Demonstrating Understanding1.2 demonstrate an understanding of some types

of simple texts, with teacher support (e.g.,comment on words, expressions, and ideas in atext; create illustrations or storyboards to accom-pany a text; complete a graphic organizer; pre-pare a word collage of key words from a text)

Responding to and Evaluating Texts1.3 respond to adapted texts, with teacher sup-

port (e.g., complete a reading log; create a posteror book jacket to reflect some aspect of a text;present a tableau depicting a key scene in a text)

Teacher prompt: “Tell me about your favour-ite part of the story. What did you like/notlike about the story?”

Text Forms1.4 identify the characteristics of some simple

text forms (e.g., maps: labels, different coloursfor land and water; bus schedules: dates, times,destinations; personal letters and e-mails: saluta-tions and closings; simple poems: rhythm, end-of-line rhymes; menus: grouping of differenttypes of food, such as salads, drinks, desserts)

Literary Elements1.5 identify some common literary elements in

short prose texts and poems (e.g., repetitionand rhyme in simple poems, descriptive wordsand expressions in a story, conflict between characters in a story)

Teacher prompt: “What words in the texthelped you make a picture in your mind?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Reading Strategies2.1 apply some appropriate reading strategies to:

• familiarize themselves with texts beforethey read them (e.g., complete a K-W-L chartwith the class; predict content from visual cues,title, and organizational features; complete ananticipation guide; preview key vocabulary ona word wall)

• understand texts while they are readingthem (e.g., use think-aloud as modelled by theteacher; ask questions to confirm meaning; usegraphic organizers and visuals to aid compre-hension; use knowledge of familiar grammati-cal structures and punctuation to determinemeaning; look up unfamiliar words in pictureand learner dictionaries)

• confirm understanding of texts after theyhave read them (e.g., connect themes or scenesto personal experience in class discussions;complete cloze activities; depict plot events orcharacters through drawing; complete theremaining portions of a K-W-L chart)

2. Using Reading ComprehensionStrategies

1. Reading for Meaning

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READING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts for different purposes;

2. use a variety of reading strategies throughout the reading process to extract meaning from texts;

3. use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary;

4. locate and extract relevant information from written and graphic texts for a variety of purposes.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Teacher prompts: “How does the title helpyou to understand what you are going toread?” “Can you imagine what the characterin the story looks like? What words in thetext describe the character?”

Text Features2.2 identify some key features of simple texts and

use them to determine meaning (e.g., title,author, numbered steps in a set of instructions,chronological order in a narrative, charts, icons)

Teacher prompt: “Were the instructions forthe recipe clear and easy to follow? Why orwhy not?”

Connecting Devices2.3 identify some simple connecting devices and

transition words and phrases that are used toshow relationships among ideas in simpletexts (e.g., because, so; first, next, then, after; first of all)

Grammatical Structures2.4 demonstrate an understanding of the gram-

matical structures of English and conventionsof print used in texts appropriate for this level(see the Language Reference Chart for ELDLevel 2 on pages 140–141)

By the end of this course, students will:

Vocabulary Building Strategies3.1 use some basic vocabulary acquisition strat-

egies to build vocabulary (e.g., make thematicword lists to classify words; record new words ina personal dictionary; play simple word games)

Word Recognition Strategies3.2 use knowledge of simple patterns of word

structure to determine the meaning of unfa-miliar words (e.g., irregular plural noun end-ings, regular present and past verb tense endings,comparative and superlative adjective endings,familiar words within compound words)

Use of Resources3.3 use some different resources to build vocabu-

lary and determine the meaning of newwords (e.g., consult informational picture texts,atlases, and learner dictionaries; check meaningwith a partner)

By the end of this course, students will:

Locating Information4.1 locate information in simple texts relating to

the school and community, and connect it topersonal experiences and previous reading(e.g., picture dictionaries, telephone directories,posters, the Internet, atlases, graphic texts, flyers)

Extracting and Organizing Information4.2 extract, record, and organize information

from a variety of teacher-selected resources(e.g., complete a simple weather chart)

Critical Thinking4.3 identify sources of information used for a

variety of everyday purposes (e.g., local transitschedules, Ministry of Transportation maps, tele-phone directories, flyers, public service brochures,websites, newspapers)

3. Developing Vocabulary

4. Developing Research Skills

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By the end of this course, students will:

Academic Purposes1.1 write short, simple texts to convey information

and ideas for academic purposes using a num-ber of scaffolded forms (e.g., complete sentencesin a cloze exercise; label a bar graph showing theresults of a survey; complete a T-chart about thepros and cons of fast-food lunches; develop aword web to describe a character in a story)

Personal Purposes1.2 write short texts to express ideas and feelings

on personal and familiar topics using somesimple forms (e.g., reminders in an agendaabout appointments or significant dates; simplemessages expressing thanks, congratulations, or condolences; invitations; directions; simpletelephone messages; simple e-mail messages; a “to-do” list; a postcard)

Community and Workplace Purposes1.3 write short texts to communicate basic infor-

mation for official and personal purposesusing some simple forms (e.g., simple job-application and medical-information forms,cheques, bank withdrawal and deposit forms, a labelled map of the neighbourhood, a list ofcommunity involvement activities, an applica-tion form for a Social Insurance Number)

By the end of this course, students will:

Organizing Ideas2.1 organize a series of linked sentences chrono-

logically, sequentially, or spatially to developa central idea (e.g., follow the model of a teacherthink-aloud to write a description of a favouriteactivity, person, or place; use a graphic organizerto identify and order main ideas and supportingdetails on a topic)

Linking Ideas2.2 use some different types of transition words

and phrases to show relationships betweenideas and information (e.g., first, next, and, but, so, because)

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures and

print conventions of written English appro-priate for this level (see the Language ReferenceChart for ELD Level 2 on pages 140–141)

Teacher prompt: “Did this happen in thepast? What verb form should you use toshow it happened in the past?”

3. Developing Accuracy in Writing

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WRITING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. write in a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences;

2. organize ideas coherently in writing;

3. use correctly the conventions of written English appropriate for this level, including grammar, usage,spelling, and punctuation;

4. use the stages of the writing process.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Spelling Strategies3.2 use some spelling strategies to spell words

accurately (e.g., consult word walls, personalword lists, and learner dictionaries; refer to class-created word webs; apply rules for forming plu-rals to nouns; segment words to identify andrecord sound-symbol correspondences; identifyrhyming patterns; use computer spell-check software)

By the end of this course, students will:

Using Pre-writing Strategies4.1 use some pre-writing strategies to generate

vocabulary and develop and organize ideasfor writing (e.g., brainstorm to gather ideasabout topics for writing; draw or sketch to clarifythinking; consult the teacher-librarian for resourcematerials; formulate “wh” questions; scan news-papers and magazines for information and ideas;use T-charts to sort and classify information)

Producing Drafts4.2 produce draft pieces of writing following

models provided by the teacher (e.g., sentencestarters, cloze passages, a teacher think-aloud,student exemplars)

Revising and Editing4.3 revise, edit, and proofread drafts using some

teacher-directed strategies (e.g., discuss ideasand content in conferences with the teacher; usechecklists; consult picture dictionaries, classcharts, and word walls during editing)

Publishing4.4 use some different elements of effective pres-

entation to publish a final product (e.g., acover page, titles and headings, drawings andmaps, imported images, charts and illustrations,different font sizes and colours)

Metacognition4.5 identify and use some different writing strat-

egies before, during, and after writing, andreflect after writing on the strategies theyfound most helpful, with teacher support (e.g., use word walls, class charts, and a teacherthink-aloud to develop ideas for writing)

Teacher prompt: “How does the word wallhelp you while you are writing?”

4. Using the Writing Process

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By the end of this course, students will:

Register 1.1 determine and use the appropriate language

register in a number of social and classroomcontexts (e.g., offer and/or accept apologiesto/from a peer; communicate suggestions andrequests to teachers or classmates; disagreepolitely with an adult)

Non-verbal Communication1.2 use non-verbal communication cues appro-

priately in a number of different contexts (e.g.,eye contact, gestures, physical distance/proximity,handshakes)

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge About Canada2.1 demonstrate knowledge of some Canadian

celebrations and sites of historical, social, orcivic significance (e.g., Canada Day, Remem-brance Day, Victoria Day, Thanksgiving Day; thefederal Parliament Buildings, the Peace Tower,Queen’s Park, local memorials, provincial andnational parks, tourist attractions)

Canadian Citizenship2.2 demonstrate knowledge of some basic facts

about Canadian citizenship (e.g., the words tothe national anthem, the symbolism of theCanadian flag, the principle of free speech, theconcept of multiculturalism, the rights andresponsibilities of community members)

Canadian Diversity2.3 demonstrate an awareness of the variety of

languages and cultures represented in theschool community (e.g., map the countries oforigin of classmates; make graphs of the first languages used in the school)

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge of the Ontario Secondary SchoolSystem3.1 describe some features of the Ontario second-

ary school system (e.g., kinds of secondaryschools and types of secondary school courses,the credit system, field-trip procedures, immu-nization requirements)

Study Skills and Strategies3.2 use a few appropriate study skills and time-

management and goal-setting strategies tocarry out learning tasks (e.g., use aplanner/agenda to record homework and otherassignments; draw up and follow a schedule tohelp complete assignments on time and make up

3. Adapting to School Life in Ontario

2. Developing Awareness of Canada,Citizenship, and Diversity

1. Using English in Socially andCulturally Appropriate Ways

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SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND MEDIA LITERACY

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. use English and non-verbal communication strategies appropriately in a variety of social contexts;

2. demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and of the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society;

3. demonstrate knowledge of and adaptation to the Ontario education system;

4. demonstrate an understanding of, interpret, and create a variety of media texts.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

missed work; complete a personal timeline toproject goals for the school year)

Teacher prompt: “Explain how an agenda canhelp you manage your time and meet school-work deadlines.”

Strategies for the Cooperative Classroom3.3 negotiate roles and tasks in group learning

activities (e.g., take on the roles of recorder, time keeper, or facilitator, as needed)

Teacher prompt: “Each person in your grouptook on a different role. How did that helpyour group finish the task?”

Knowledge of School and Community Resources3.4 identify some school and community resources

that are available to support classroom learn-ing (e.g., school guidance services, school settle-ment workers, newcomer resources availablefrom www.settlement.org, school and publiclibraries, in-school study and computer rooms,tutoring programs, community recreation centres)

By the end of this course, students will:

Understanding Media Texts4.1 view, read, and listen to different types of media

texts to obtain and record key information (e.g.,compile a weather report based on televisionforecasts; summarize sports results from thenewspaper; obtain transportation schedules fromwebsites)

Interpreting Media Texts4.2 identify the purpose and intended audience of

different types of media texts (e.g., advertisingflyers, public service or travel brochures, televi-sion commercials)

Creating Media Texts4.3 create media texts for different purposes (e.g.,

a poster to advertise a school event, a stamp tocommemorate an invention or discovery, a coat of arms to represent themselves or their families,a song to tell people about a favourite activity)

4. Developing Media Knowledge and Skills

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This chart shows the structures students are expected to learn through work done in all four strands.These structures should be taught in context rather than in isolation (e.g., after reading, students identifyprepositions used with phrasal verbs in the text, with teacher support, and add them to a word wall).English language learners in the ELD program need reinforcement and repetition of language structuresfrom previous course levels in order to achieve mastery.

I. Grammatical Structures

Language Reference Chart – ELD Level 2

Nouns count: high-frequency irregular forms (e.g., child/children)

non-count (e.g., no plural form – water, ice, bread, sugar, money, paper)

possessive form of proper nouns (e.g., Paulo’s hat.)

ordinal numbers for dates (e.g., the first, the twenty-ninth)

articles a, an, the

Pronouns demonstrative: this, these, that, those

reflexive: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves

Verbs simple present (e.g., We study science.)

present progressive (e.g., They are studying science.)

simple past regular/irregular (e.g., I bought a magazine yesterday. They playedtennis all afternoon. We went to a restaurant last night.)

there was/were

simple future (e.g., I will call you tomorrow.)

future with going to (e.g., They’re going to be late.)

Adjectives possessive (e.g., We ate at their house.)

comparative/superlative (e.g., taller/tallest)

Adverbs modifying adjectives (e.g., very tall, really late)

of frequency and time (e.g., already, sometimes, often, always, never, today,then, last)

Transition wordsand phrases

conjunctions: because, so, first, next

Question forms “wh” questions (e.g., what, where, when, who, why)

how

Negation be, do in simple past (e.g., They weren’t ready. We didn’t like that story.)

Prepositions with simple phrasal verbs (e.g., take off, put on, put away, turn on/off, get up, waitfor, look for, look at, talk over)

Sentences simple (subject + verb + object or prepositional phrase) (e.g., She reads books.She reads in the classroom.)

compound with and (e.g., She reads books, and she also plays sports.)

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II. Conventions of Print

Punctuation comma (for items in a list)

exclamation mark

apostrophe for possessive forms (e.g., Paulo’s hat, the children’s ball)

Capitalization proper nouns

This course builds on students’ growing literacy and language skills and extends their ability to communicate in English about familiar and school-related topics. Students will make brief oral presentations; improve their literacy skills through a variety of contextualized and supported reading and writing tasks; distinguish between fact and opinion in short written and oral texts; complete short guided-research projects; andengage in a variety of cooperative learning activities. The course will also enable studentsto strengthen and extend their study skills and personal-management strategies and tobroaden their understanding of Canadian diversity and citizenship.

English Literacy DevelopmentELD Level 3Open ELDCO

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By the end of this course, students will:

Listening for Specific Information1.1 demonstrate comprehension of specific infor-

mation in more detailed directions, instruc-tions, and classroom presentations, with moderate contextual and visual support (e.g.,identify major weather trends from weatherbroadcasts; use a teacher-prepared graphicorganizer to note main ideas from classroom presentations)

Teacher prompt: “What questions can youask yourself while you are listening to helpyou understand what you have heard?”

Listening to Interact1.2 demonstrate understanding of spoken English

on familiar topics that are relevant to commu-nity and school in interactive situations (e.g.,use the telephone to check the availability of anitem advertised in a flyer; interview a classmateabout a favourite book)

By the end of this course, students will:

Speaking to Interact2.1 engage in spoken interactions on personal

and content-area topics (e.g., conduct surveyswith other students and graph the results; inter-view a partner about how a past experience compares with a new experience in Canada, andrecord the results in a Venn diagram; participatein planning for a class celebration)

Using Conversational Strategies2.2 use a number of conversational expressions to

negotiate spoken interactions (e.g., engage insmall talk with classmates using expressions suchas “How’s it going?”, “What’s up?”, “What doyou think?”; start a telephone inquiry for infor-mation with expressions such as “Could youplease tell me …?”, “I’m calling about …”)

Speaking for Academic Purposes2.3 present ideas and information orally for aca-

demic purposes in supported situations (e.g.,give an oral presentation supported by pictures or graphics; assume a variety of roles in small-group activities; explain geometric concepts withthe aid of a model; create questions in groups fora class quiz)

2. Developing Fluency in Speaking1. Developing ListeningComprehension

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LISTENING AND SPEAKING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English for a variety of purposes;

2. use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes;

3. use correctly the language structures appropriate for this level to communicate orally in English.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures of

spoken English appropriate for this level (seethe Language Reference Chart for ELD Level 3on page 152)

Sound Patterns3.2 use appropriately a number of pronunciation,

stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns of spoken English to communicate meaningaccurately (e.g., move syllable stress and reducevowels in words within a word family [multiply,multiplication]; apply general rules about rhythmand stress patterns to unfamiliar words from rapsongs or jazz chants)

Communication Strategies3.3 use a number of oral communication strategies

to bridge gaps in spoken communication (e.g.,restate complex ideas in simple language andinvite feedback; describe the features or compo-nents of objects for which they do not know orremember the word)

Teacher prompt: “What words can you use todescribe the size, shape, and function of thisobject?”

3. Developing Accuracy in Speaking

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By the end of this course, students will:

Reading a Variety of Texts1.1 read a number of adapted texts and simple

authentic texts (e.g., short stories from diversecultures, poems, short novels, letters, memos, and a variety of electronic texts)

Demonstrating Understanding1.2 demonstrate an understanding of adapted

and simple authentic texts in a number ofways (e.g., present role-plays; summarize keypoints; compose an alternative ending to a workof fiction; use a Venn diagram to record similar-ities and differences)

Responding to and Evaluating Texts1.3 respond to adapted and simple authentic texts,

with minimal support (e.g., participate in aninformal class discussion about a text; complete a reader’s response journal; participate in a role-play dramatizing the resolution of a conflict in a text; identify the main ideas and supportingdetails in a text)

Text Forms1.4 identify the characteristics of a number of text

forms (e.g., columns and rows in charts and tables,abbreviations in recipes, numbered steps in instruc-tions and procedures, frames with dialogue incomics, a simple W-5 format in newspaper arti-cles, quotation marks for dialogue in a narrative)

Literary Elements1.5 identify a number of literary elements in short

stories, poems, and simple novels (e.g., thetheme of a story, turning points in the plot of ashort story or novel, words that create mood ordescribe character traits)

By the end of this course, students will:

Reading Strategies2.1 apply a number of appropriate reading strat-

egies to:

• familiarize themselves with texts beforethey read them (e.g., brainstorm with a part-ner to predict content; ask questions aboutillustrations, photographs, and graphic organ-izers; activate prior knowledge of a topicthrough a concept web; preview key vocabu-lary using picture dictionaries and other materials related to the topic of the text)

• understand texts while they are readingthem (e.g., reread with a partner or read on;identify common prefixes, suffixes, and roots;chunk information and distinguish betweenmain ideas and supporting details; pose ques-tions to clarify meaning; highlight key wordsand make jot notes; use contextual clues suchas signal words and phrases; look up unfami-liar words in learner dictionaries)

2. Using Reading ComprehensionStrategies

1. Reading for Meaning

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READING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts for different purposes;

2. use a variety of reading strategies throughout the reading process to extract meaning from texts;

3. use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary;

4. locate and extract relevant information from written and graphic texts for a variety of purposes.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

• confirm understanding of texts after theyhave read them (e.g., participate in literaturecircles; use graphic organizers to compare andcontrast two texts; write a summary; work in asmall group to create questions about a text fora class game)

Teacher prompt: “What can you do when youdon’t understand a word?

Text Features2.2 identify a number of features of adapted and

simple authentic texts, and use them to aid orincrease comprehension (e.g., different fonts,italics, boldface type, bullets, table of contents,chapter titles, labelled diagrams)

Connecting Devices2.3 identify a number of connecting devices and

transition words and phrases that are used toshow relationships among ideas in adaptedand simple authentic texts (e.g., as, when, if,while; first of all, secondly, as well, finally)

Grammatical Structures2.4 demonstrate an understanding of the gramma-

tical structures of English and conventions ofprint used in texts appropriate for this level(see the Language Reference Chart for ELD Level 3on page 152)

By the end of this course, students will:

Vocabulary Building Strategies3.1 use a number of vocabulary acquisition strat-

egies to build vocabulary (e.g., complete graphicorganizers of word families, synonyms, antonyms,and homonyms; use memory and visualizationstrategies to learn new words; refer to learnerdictionaries; play a variety of word games)

Word Recognition Strategies3.2 use knowledge of familiar patterns of word

structure to determine the meaning and pro-nunciation of unfamiliar words and expres-sions (e.g., use common prefixes and suffixes todeduce meaning; identify word families; applyknowledge of the adverb ending “ly” to assistwith pronunciation)

Use of Resources3.3 use a number of resources to build vocabulary

and to determine the meaning of unfamiliarwords (e.g., simplified print and online ency-clopaedias, a classroom word wall showing howprefixes and suffixes extend word families, a personal word list of simple phrasal verbs andtheir prepositions)

By the end of this course, students will:

Locating Information4.1 locate information in adapted and simple

authentic texts pre-selected in collaborationwith the teacher-librarian (e.g., e-zines,brochures, simplified newspaper and magazinearticles, simplified print and online encyclo-paedias, websites)

Extracting and Organizing Information4.2 extract, record, and organize information from

adapted and simple authentic texts for a vari-ety of purposes (e.g., make point-form notes,cue cards, and poster boards to prepare for oralpresentations; complete a concept web for a guided-research project)

Critical Thinking4.3 identify sources of information from research,

and discuss the reliability of the information,with teacher support (e.g., newspapers, enter-tainment tabloids, personal blogs, books fromschool and public libraries, flyers, brochures)

Teacher prompts: “Who makes decisionsabout what information is published innewspapers?” “Can you believe everythingthat is said in an advertisement? Why?”

4. Developing Research Skills

3. Developing Vocabulary

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By the end of this course, students will:

Academic Purposes1.1 write short texts to convey information and

ideas for academic purposes using a variety of scaffolded forms (e.g., use a model to write ashort informational paragraph about a landformin a region of Canada; complete a science labreport following an outline provided by theteacher; outline safety instructions in a techno-logy class; label a timeline showing importantdates in Canada’s history)

Personal Purposes1.2 write short texts to express ideas and feelings

on personal and familiar topics using a num-ber of forms (e.g., notices about items lost, found,or for sale; personal letters or e-mails describingexperiences and impressions; letters of apology;responses to online surveys)

Community and Workplace Purposes1.3 write short texts to communicate information

for official and personal purposes using anumber of forms (e.g., a school or work accidentreport, a short history of past work experience, a change-of-address request form, a request forinformation from a government agency or website)

By the end of this course, students will:

Organizing Ideas2.1 organize information to develop a central

idea in a scaffolded paragraph with a topicsentence, supporting ideas, and a concludingstatement (e.g., use a paragraph frame to struc-ture an informational, narrative, or proceduralparagraph)

Linking Ideas2.2 use a number of transition words and phrases

to show relationships between ideas andinformation (e.g., when, first, secondly, in thebeginning, in addition, as well, finally)

Teacher prompt: “What words and phrasesdid you use to connect the supporting detailsto your main idea?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures and Conventions of Print3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures and

print conventions of written English appro-priate for this level (see the Language ReferenceChart for ELD Level 3 on page 152)

Teacher prompt: “How can you change thisstatement into a question?”

3. Developing Accuracy in Writing

2. Organizing Ideas in Writing1. Writing for Different Purposes

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WRITING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. write in a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences;

2. organize ideas coherently in writing;

3. use correctly the conventions of written English appropriate for this level, including grammar, usage,spelling, and punctuation;

4. use the stages of the writing process.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Spelling Strategies3.2 use a number of spelling strategies to spell

words accurately (e.g., apply rules for formingplurals, contractions, and possessives; followrules for changing base words when adding common endings; pronounce the silent letters inwords: knock; relate new words to known wordswith similar sounds; find familiar words withinlonger words; keep a personal spelling list; usecomputer spell-check software)

Teacher prompt: “What tells you that youneed to double the final consonant beforeadding ‘ed’ to this word?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Using Pre-writing Strategies4.1 use a number of pre-writing strategies to

generate vocabulary and develop and organ-ize ideas for writing (e.g., generate ideas usingcollaborative concept webs; map out storyboards;write jot notes about a topic; complete Venn dia-grams to see relationships; conduct interviewsand do background reading to expand knowledgeof a topic)

Producing Drafts4.2 produce draft pieces of writing using a num-

ber of different strategies and models (e.g.,teacher-prepared models; templates and studentexemplars; graphic organizers)

Revising and Editing4.3 revise, edit, and proofread drafts using a

number of teacher-directed and independentstrategies (e.g., discuss ideas, content, and organ-ization in peer and teacher conferences; rereadfor punctuation, clarity of ideas, appropriate verbtenses, and subject-verb agreement; confirmspelling using learner dictionaries; refer to check-lists of editing/proofreading tasks)

Publishing4.4 use a number of elements of effective presen-

tation to publish a final product (e.g., labelleddiagrams; graphs; different fonts for headingsand subheadings; proper paragraph form, includ-ing spacing and margins)

Metacognition4.5 select and use a number of writing strategies

before, during, and after writing, and reflectafter writing on the strategies they foundmost helpful (e.g., choose an appropriate graph-ic organizer to sort ideas for writing; identifypieces of writing that they think show their bestwork and explain the reasons for their choice)

Teacher prompt: “How does conferencingwith the teacher and peers help to improveyour writing?”

4. Using the Writing Process

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By the end of this course, students will:

Register 1.1 determine and use the appropriate language

register in a variety of social and classroomcontexts (e.g., role play how to offer advice to a friend; simulate a telephone inquiry about community and/or school support services; createa dialogue in which they describe symptoms to adoctor)

Non-verbal Communication1.2 use non-verbal communication cues appro-

priately in a variety of social, academic, andworkplace contexts (e.g., exchange a “high five”with a friend, but shake hands with an inter-viewer; maintain a bigger personal space in aworkplace than in a social gathering)

Teacher prompt: “Let’s brainstorm a list ofsituations when it is appropriate (correct) toshake hands. Are there differences in yourhome culture?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge About Canada2.1 demonstrate knowledge of a variety of facts

about Canadian geography (e.g., name andlocate on maps the provinces and territories,major cities, and major rivers and lakes; com-plete charts showing the distribution of naturalresources in some provinces/territories)

Canadian Citizenship2.2 describe the process by which immigrants be-

come Canadian citizens (e.g., application, resi-dence in Canada for three years, knowledge ofEnglish or French, preparation for the citizenshiptest, participation in the citizenship ceremony)

Canadian Diversity2.3 demonstrate an awareness of the variety of

languages and cultures represented in theirlocal community (e.g., compare gender roles,family structures, days of significance, and naming customs among linguistic or culturalgroups in the community)

Teacher prompt: “Do you use special wordsto address older people in your culture? Inwhat other ways do you show respect forolder people?”

2. Developing Awareness of Canada,Citizenship, and Diversity

1. Using English in Socially andCulturally Appropriate Ways

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SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND MEDIA LITERACY

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. use English and non-verbal communication strategies appropriately in a variety of social contexts;

2. demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and of the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society;

3. demonstrate knowledge of and adaptation to the Ontario education system;

4. demonstrate an understanding of, interpret, and create a variety of media texts.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge of the Ontario Secondary SchoolSystem3.1 describe a number of policies and practices in

place in the Ontario secondary school system(e.g., the role of teachers; involvement of parentsin school life and changes after their child turnseighteen; discipline expectations and consequences;district school boards’ equity and antidiscrimina-tion policies)

Study Skills and Strategies3.2 use a number of appropriate time-management

and study skills and strategies to carry outlearning tasks in all subject areas (e.g., establisha study schedule; organize notes for study; meetwith peers to plan projects; use graphic organiz-ers to categorize information; highlight key infor-mation; create a personal mnemonic device)

Strategies for the Cooperative Classroom3.3 interact appropriately and respectfully in co-

operative learning activities (e.g., help keep thegroup on task; take turns; take on different rolesas needed; show respect for other points of view)

Knowledge of School and Community Resources3.4 identify and use a number of school and com-

munity resources that are available to supportlifelong learning (e.g., school/community clubsand sports teams; the public library; guidancedepartment brochures and personnel; careerinformation databases; career days, field trips,and job shadow programs; settlement agencies)

By the end of this course, students will:

Understanding Media Texts4.1 view, read, and listen to media texts in a vari-

ety of forms to identify their key elements andcharacteristics (e.g., compare the format of tele-vision sitcoms, game shows, and reality programs;compare the styles of news delivery used on tele-vision and in newspapers and tabloids; compareadvertisements in magazines, on billboards, andin pop-ups on the Internet)

Interpreting Media Texts4.2 identify features in media texts that are used

to appeal to specific audiences (e.g., font styleand size on packaging and in advertisements;pictures, illustrations, and colour in a brochure;images that feature people in a specific age group;celebrity endorsement in advertisements; type ofmusic played in television advertisements)

Teacher prompt: “What messages do adver-tisements on television and in magazinesgive about physical appearance for womenand men?”

Creating Media Texts4.3 create media texts for a number of different

audiences and purposes, and explain theirchoice of format (e.g., create a brochure toattract young travellers to their country of origin;produce a board game related to a classroom unitof study; create an advertisement for a new orimaginary product)

Teacher prompt: “Think of advertisementsaimed at specific audiences: for example,people who like basketball, people who likefast cars, or people who like a certain type ofmusic. How do you know an advertisementis designed to appeal to that audience?”

3. Adapting to School Life in Ontario 4. Developing Media Knowledge and Skills

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This chart shows the structures students are expected to learn through work done in all four strands. Thesestructures should be taught in context rather than in isolation (e.g., while reading dialogues in narrativetexts, students learn how to use quotation marks for direct speech). English language learners in the ELDprogram need reinforcement and repetition of language structures from previous course levels in order toachieve mastery.

I. Grammatical Structures

Language Reference Chart – ELD Level 3

Nouns count: various irregular forms (e.g., mice, knives, sheep, clothes)

compound (e.g., city street, school library, summer holiday)

possessive forms (e.g., The girl’s bag. The girls’ bags.)

gerunds for activities and pastimes (e.g., skating, swimming, fishing)

ordinal numbers (e.g., first, hundredth)

articles a, an, the, no article

Pronouns possessive: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs

indefinite: some, no, any, every + body/thing

Verbs past progressive (e.g., She was saying goodbye.)

modals: have to/must/can (e.g., I have to go.)

would like + noun phrase (e.g., We would like more time.)

want/start/like + infinitive (e.g., They wanted to go home.)

Adjectives irregular comparative/superlative (e.g., better/best, worse/worst)

of quantity (e.g., a little, a lot of, some of, much, many)

Adverbs of manner (e.g., quietly, sadly, kindly, carefully)

Transition wordsand phrases

first of all, secondly, in the beginning, as well, also, in addition, finally

conjunctions: as, when, if, while, that

Question forms inverted word order: verb + subject (e.g., Was he studying? Did she leave?)

Negation be, do, can in past tenses (e.g., We could not/couldn’t finish on time.)

will (e.g., He won’t go to the game.)

Prepositions with phrasal verbs (e.g., give up, look after, look up, talk over, get along, take off)

Sentences compound (e.g., She reads magazines, but she doesn’t like novels.)

direct speech (e.g.,“Welcome to the school,” said the teacher.)

II. Conventions of Print

Punctuation comma to set off parenthetical clauses (e.g., presenting research information:Alberta, which has a lot of oil and gas, also has some of the highest mountains inCanada.)

quotation marks for direct speech

apostrophe for possessive forms (e.g., The girl’s bag. The girls’ bags.)

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This course extends students’ literacy skills and ability to apply learning strategies effectively, and teaches them how to use community resources to enhance lifelong learning.Students will communicate with increased accuracy and fluency for a variety of academicand everyday purposes; perform a variety of guided reading, writing, and viewing tasks;and use media and community resources to complete guided-research projects. Thiscourse further develops the critical thinking skills students will need to participate inCanadian society as informed citizens.

English Literacy DevelopmentELD Level 4Open ELDDO

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By the end of this course, students will:

Listening for Specific Information1.1 demonstrate comprehension of specific informa-

tion in more complex directions, instructions,and classroom presentations, with minimalcontextual and visual support (e.g., complete ateacher-prepared cloze activity with informationfrom a class presentation; follow recorded mes-sage prompts from a bank or public serviceorganization; extract key concepts from audiowebcasts and library Dial-A-Story services)

Listening to Interact1.2 demonstrate understanding of spoken English

on a variety of topics in interactive situations(e.g., in a think-pair-share activity on a school-related topic; in a simulated job interview)

By the end of this course, students will:

Speaking to Interact2.1 engage in more complex spoken interactions

on a variety of topics and in a variety of situa-tions (e.g., request information about the commu-nity involvement activities required for a second-ary school diploma; participate in a group jigsawinformation-sharing activity; share informationto solve a Sudoku puzzle)

Using Conversational Strategies2.2 use a variety of conversational expressions to

negotiate spoken interactions (e.g., disagreepolitely using expressions such as “I don’t knowabout that …”, “Good idea, but what about …?”;make polite suggestions using expressions suchas “How about …?”, “Why don’t we try …?”; usemodals such as “could” and “should” to offeradvice, as in “You could try again tomorrow.”)

Speaking for Academic Purposes2.3 present ideas and information orally for aca-

demic purposes in a variety of situations (e.g.,participate in a discussion about stereotypes intelevision shows and other media; contribute to a group discussion about how to complete acooperative project)

2. Developing Fluency in Speaking1. Developing ListeningComprehension

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LISTENING AND SPEAKING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English for a variety of purposes;

2. use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes;

3. use correctly the language structures appropriate for this level to communicate orally in English.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures of

spoken English appropriate for this level (seethe Language Reference Chart for ELD Level 4on page 162)

Sound Patterns3.2 use appropriately a variety of pronunciation,

stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns of spoken English to communicate meaningaccurately (e.g., change intonation patterns intag questions to indicate a question or confirma-tion; stress the syllable before the suffix -tion[attraction, information]; change the stressed syllable within a word to distinguish between itsnoun and verb forms [produce, produce; record,record; reject, reject])

Communication Strategies3.3 use a variety of oral communication strategies

to bridge gaps in spoken communication(e.g., keep a record of frequent mistakes and con-sciously monitor speech to avoid them)

3. Developing Accuracy in Speaking

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By the end of this course, students will:

Reading a Variety of Texts1.1 read a variety of increasingly complex texts

(e.g., myths and legends, short stories, brochures,news reports, graphic novels, charts and tables)

Demonstrating Understanding1.2 demonstrate an understanding of more com-

plex texts in a variety of ways (e.g., complete agraphic organizer showing the causes and effectsof an event described in an informational text;explain the motivations of a character in a story;distinguish between main ideas and supportingdetails in a report)

Responding to and Evaluating Texts1.3 respond to a variety of adapted and authentic

texts selected for study and pleasure (e.g., cre-ate a stop-motion animation film using modelsbased on a myth or legend studied in class; writeshort book reports; relate specific passages orevents in a story to their own experiences)

Teacher prompt: “Do you think this textabout space exploration covered the topicwell? Why or why not?”

Text Forms1.4 identify the characteristics of a variety of text

forms and explain how they help to commu-nicate meaning (e.g., descriptions in course calendars help with course selection; print andvisual elements work together to convey a mes-sage in graphic texts and novels; the personal

perspective of a historical journal narrative helpsthe reader understand how historical eventsaffected individual people)

Literary Elements1.5 identify a variety of literary elements in short

stories, novels, and poems, and describe theirfunction (e.g., simile, metaphor, personification,foreshadowing)

By the end of this course, students will:

Reading Strategies2.1 apply a variety of appropriate reading strat-

egies to:

• familiarize themselves with texts beforethey read them (e.g., predict content by par-ticipating in a think-pair-share; collaborate togenerate a list of questions about the topic; useinformation from visuals to make predictionsabout a text)

• understand texts while they are readingthem (e.g., reread or read on to confirm oradjust predictions; skim and scan for mainideas and supporting details; complete graphicorganizers; monitor understanding of a text ingroups; look up words in learner dictionaries)

• confirm understanding of texts after theyhave read them (e.g., participate in a classdiscussion; record reactions in a reading log;discuss questions about a text with a readingpartner)

2. Using Reading ComprehensionStrategies

1. Reading for Meaning

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READING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts for different purposes;

2. use a variety of reading strategies throughout the reading process to extract meaning from texts;

3. use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary;

4. locate and extract relevant information from written and graphic texts for a variety of purposes.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Teacher prompt: “What strategies did you usemost often to help you to understand thetext?”

Text Features2.2 use specific features of content-area texts to

locate and extract information (e.g., headingsand subheadings, sidebars, text boxes, marginnotes, graphs, columns and rows in a table, agrid and coordinates in a map, an index, a glossary)

Teacher prompt: “What organizing devicesand symbols in this textbook help you tolocate information?”

Connecting Devices2.3 identify a variety of connecting devices and

transition words and phrases that are used toshow relationships among ideas in texts (e.g.,in contrast, in conclusion, yet)

Grammatical Structures2.4 demonstrate an understanding of the gram-

matical structures of English and conventionsof print used in texts appropriate for this level(see the Language Reference Chart for ELDLevel 4 on page 162)

By the end of this course, students will:

Vocabulary Building Strategies3.1 use a variety of vocabulary acquisition strat-

egies to build subject-specific vocabulary (e.g.,use context clues to infer meaning; create a note-book of vocabulary related to various subjectareas; consult a variety of print and electronicdictionaries; chart word families; solve jigsawword puzzles; create and play interactive wordgames)

Word Recognition Strategies3.2 use knowledge of a variety of patterns of

word structure and word order to determinethe meaning of content-area words (e.g., deter-mine how meaning changes when prefixes andsuffixes change; infer meaning from word order)

Use of Resources3.3 use a variety of resources to build vocabulary

and determine the meaning of unfamiliar content-area words (e.g., a variety of print andelectronic dictionaries, websites designed forEnglish language learners, glossaries and textboxes in subject textbooks)

By the end of this course, students will:

Locating Information4.1 locate information for guided research from

a variety of teacher-selected texts (e.g., books,encyclopaedias, websites, DVDs, video clips,news reports), and determine whether theideas and information gathered are relevant to and adequate for the purpose

Extracting and Organizing Information4.2 select and organize information from texts for

a variety of purposes (e.g., use teacher-preparedoutlines to make notes for guided-research proj-ects; develop word webs and fishbone maps toorganize ideas for a report)

Critical Thinking4.3 identify a variety of sources of information on

the same topic, and compare them for reliabil-ity and point of view (e.g., compare reports fromethnocultural community newspapers versusmainstream newspapers, television versus radiobroadcasts, print versus electronic magazines)

3. Developing Vocabulary

4. Developing Research Skills

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By the end of this course, students will:

Academic Purposes1.1 write longer texts to convey information and

ideas for academic purposes using a variety of forms (e.g., a summary of main points for aguided-research project; a biographical sketch of a famous Canadian based on research; a bookreport or website review; a letter to the authorabout their reaction to a particular text)

Personal Purposes1.2 write longer texts to express ideas and feelings

using a variety of forms (e.g., poems, song lyrics/raps, journals or diaries, e-mails or letters,text messages, narratives, descriptions, class graffiti walls)

Community and Workplace Purposes1.3 write longer texts to communicate information

for official and personal purposes in a varietyof forms (e.g., complete a driver’s licence appli-cation form or a short medical history form; com-pose a statement of interest for a co-op placementor an internship; write a thank-you note for a jobinterview)

By the end of this course, students will:

Organizing Ideas2.1 organize information to develop a central idea

in two or more linked paragraphs (e.g., use avariety of graphic organizers to sort and ordermain ideas and supporting details for a review ofa book, movie, or video game)

Linking Ideas2.2 use a variety of connecting devices and transi-

tion words and phrases to show relationshipsbetween ideas in linked sentences and para-graphs (e.g., in contrast, in conclusion, yet, furthermore)

Teacher prompt: “What words or phrasescould you use to help the reader follow yourthinking more easily?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures and Conventions of Print3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures and

print conventions of written English appropri-ate for this level (see the Language ReferenceChart for ELD Level 4 on page 162)

Teacher prompt: “How can you change theadjective ‘neat’ into an adverb that describeshow a student writes?”

3. Developing Accuracy in Writing

2. Organizing Ideas in Writing1. Writing for Different Purposes

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WRITING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. write in a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences;

2. organize ideas coherently in writing;

3. use correctly the conventions of written English appropriate for this level, including grammar, usage,spelling, and punctuation;

4. use the stages of the writing process.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Spelling Strategies3.2 use a variety of spelling strategies to spell

words accurately (e.g., apply knowledge of pre-fixes, suffixes, and roots; refer to dictionaries andelectronic spell-checkers; divide long words intomanageable chunks; use mnemonic devices tolearn difficult spellings)

Teacher prompt: “Tell a partner about a mem-ory trick you use to help you spell a certainword correctly.”

By the end of this course, students will:

Using Pre-writing Strategies4.1 use a variety of pre-writing strategies to gen-

erate vocabulary and develop and organizeideas for writing (e.g., consider purpose andaudience in choosing an appropriate form forwriting; generate ideas using concept or wordwebs, brainstorming, discussions; interview people with knowledge of the topic; conduct an Internet search)

Teacher prompt: “How does discussing yourtopic with a partner help you to prepare forwriting?”

Producing Drafts4.2 produce draft pieces of writing using a vari-

ety of strategies and models (e.g., a variety ofgraphic organizers, student exemplars)

Teacher prompt: “How can looking at anexemplar help you with your writing?”

Revising and Editing4.3 revise, edit, and proofread drafts using a vari-

ety of strategies (e.g., discuss ideas, organiza-tion, and word choice in conferences with theteacher; use an author’s circle for peer feedback;reread to check clarity of ideas and word choice;refer to a checklist to double-check punctuation,consistency of verb tense, and subject-verb agree-ment; verify spelling using print and electronicresources)

Teacher prompt: “What similar words couldyou use instead of _______?”

Publishing4.4 use a variety of elements of effective presen-

tation to publish a final product (e.g., italics,bolding, and underlining for emphasis; layoutsthat enhance or highlight the content; detailedlabels)

Metacognition4.5 select and use a variety of writing strategies

before, during, and after writing, and reflectafter writing on the strategies they foundmost helpful (e.g., use a reflection journal torecord ideas and learning about writing; main-tain a writing portfolio that they think showstheir best work and explain the reasons for theirchoice)

Teacher prompt: “What helped you organizeyour ideas on paper?”

4. Using the Writing Process

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Register 1.1 determine and use the appropriate language

register in a wide variety of social and class-room contexts (e.g., “What’s up?” to peers versus“Hello. How are you?” to teachers; “I’m sorry,would you please repeat that?” to an adultacquaintance versus “What did you just say?” toa friend; “Thanks a lot” to a friend or a familymember versus “I really appreciate your help” to a sales assistant in a store)

Non-verbal Communication1.2 adjust their use of non-verbal communication

cues to suit a variety of social, academic, andworkplace contexts (e.g., eye contact, gestures,personal space, handshakes, posture, touch)

Teacher prompt: “Let’s watch the video with-out sound. How well do these people knoweach other? How do you know?”

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge About Canada2.1 demonstrate knowledge of a variety of facts

about Canadian political processes and struc-tures (e.g., name the types of services that areprovided by each level of government; identifycurrent political figures and their roles; explainthe process of electing governments in Canada)

Canadian Citizenship2.2 demonstrate knowledge of key facts about

Canadian citizenship, levels of government inCanada, and current Canadian issues (e.g.,identify the steps in the application process forCanadian citizenship; identify some rights andresponsibilities of Canadian citizenship, such asfree speech and voting; research issues such asenergy conservation, recycling, election platformsof different political parties, human rights)

Teacher prompt: “What are some of the waysyou can influence decisions about an issueyou are interested in?”

2. Developing Awareness of Canada,Citizenship, and Diversity

1. Using English in Socially andCulturally Appropriate Ways

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SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND MEDIA LITERACY

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. use English and non-verbal communication strategies appropriately in a variety of social contexts;

2. demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and of the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society;

3. demonstrate knowledge of and adaptation to the Ontario education system;

4. demonstrate an understanding of, interpret, and create a variety of media texts.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Canadian Diversity2.3 identify needs that all people share and needs

that are different because of culture, religion,language background, age, and/or gender role(e.g., summarize information from films, videos,and print sources on diverse needs of people inCanadian communities)

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge of the Ontario Secondary SchoolSystem3.1 describe aspects of the Ontario secondary

school system that can help them achievetheir personal, educational, and/or occupa-tional goals (e.g., the focus on both process andproduct in the achievement chart categories, thefocus on learning skills in the Provincial ReportCard, policies on accommodating religious dressand worship traditions)

Study Skills and Strategies3.2 use a variety of appropriate time-manage-

ment, study, and test-preparation skills andstrategies to carry out learning tasks in allsubject areas (e.g., make notes; rehearse with cue cards; determine priorities; manage time efficiently; follow directions)

Strategies for the Cooperative Classroom3.3 participate effectively in cooperative learning

activities to complete group tasks (e.g., expressopinions appropriately; express disagreementpolitely; pay attention to peers’ and teachers’comments; contribute by building on peers’ andteachers’ comments; negotiate group roles andtasks)

Knowledge of School and Community Resources3.4 identify and explain the purpose of a variety

of school and community resources that areavailable to support lifelong learning, and usethem appropriately as needed (e.g., summer,night, and virtual school opportunities; interna-tional language classes; the school board’s poli-cies and procedures on bullying and harassment;antidiscrimination and safe schools policies; localorganizations where students can volunteer inorder to complete the diploma requirement for community involvement activities; public reference libraries)

By the end of this course, students will:

Understanding Media Texts4.1 view, read, and listen to coverage of the same

subject or issue in different media sources andcompare the type of information provided(e.g., compare television, newspaper, and Internetaccounts of a natural disaster or a sports event)

Teacher prompt: “How did the map in thenewspaper report help you understand thetelevision coverage of the hurricane?”

Interpreting Media Texts4.2 compare media texts that are designed to

appeal to different audiences, and identifyelements that are aimed at specific groups(e.g., visuals that show particular types of peopleor that evoke a particular mood, youth-orientedlanguage and music, key words or slogans thatreveal a particular point of view)

Teacher prompt: “Do you think all peoplewho read this brochure will react in the sameway? Would an older person react in thesame way as a teenager? Why or why not?”

Creating Media Texts4.3 create media texts for a variety of audiences

and purposes, and explain their content anddesign decisions (e.g., a mock television or radioannouncement to inform students about a school-related issue, a multi-media presentation to orientnewcomer students to the school and community,a movie poster based on a novel they have read)

3. Adapting to School Life in Ontario

4. Developing Media Knowledge and Skills

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This chart shows the structures students are expected to learn through work done in all four strands. Thesestructures should be taught in context rather than in isolation (e.g., while writing a science lab reportusing an outline, students learn how to use comparative and superlative adjectives with more and most).English language learners in the ELD program need reinforcement and repetition of language structuresfrom previous course levels in order to achieve mastery.

I. Grammatical Structures

Language Reference Chart – ELD Level 4

Nouns collective (e.g., team, group, family, crowd) + verb agreement

Numbers all cardinal and ordinal numbers

Pronouns indefinite (e.g., some, no, any, every + one)

Verbs present perfect (e.g., They have just/already left.)

present perfect progressive (e.g., What have you been doing?)

modals: could, would, should (e.g., I couldn’t see anything.)

conditional: type 1 / probable (e.g., If it rains, we will stay home.)

used to (e.g., They used to go to Montreal.)

Adjectives comparative/superlative with more, most (e.g., more useful, most useful)

other, another, each

Adverbs adjectives + ly (e.g., happily, truly, extremely, beautifully)

Transition wordsand phrases

in contrast, in conclusion, yet, furthermore

conjunctions: before, after, when, then, while

Question forms “wh” questions with a few different verb tenses (e.g., What was he studying?Why has the music stopped?)

with modals (e.g., Should we take the bus?)

Negation with a few different verb tenses (e.g., He wasn’t playing soccer. They didn’t bringlunch.)

Prepositions with a variety of phrasal verbs (e.g., be away, be back, be for, be over, be up; askabout, ask for, ask [someone] in, ask [someone] out)

Sentences complex, with relative clause (e.g., I like to watch television programs that coversports events. People who like sports often watch a lot of television.)

indirect speech (e.g., The teacher asked the students to come in.)

II. Conventions of Print

Punctuation colon before a list (e.g., Bring the following items: pen, pencil, and paper.)

parentheses (e.g., for additional information)

This course provides students with skills and strategies that will allow them to continuetheir education successfully and pursue pathways to employment that may involveapprenticeship and/or cooperative education programs. Students will communicate orally and in writing on a variety of topics; perform a variety of independent reading andwriting tasks; interpret and create media texts; and use a range of media and communityresources. This course also expands the critical thinking skills students will need in orderto contribute to Canadian society as informed citizens.

English Literacy DevelopmentELD Level 5Open ELDEO

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By the end of this course, students will:

Listening for Specific Information1.1 demonstrate comprehension of specific infor-

mation in complex directions, instructions,and classroom presentations (e.g., take notes on a documentary; use information from a class-room presentation to complete a graphic organiz-er; identify differences between reports of a newsevent from radio and television broadcasts; followa series of technical instructions to complete atask)

Listening to Interact1.2 demonstrate understanding of spoken English

on a wide variety of topics in interactive situa-tions (e.g., in a collaborative activity to develop agroup presentation; in discussions with peersabout current events or issues)

By the end of this course, students will:

Speaking to Interact2.1 engage in extended spoken interactions on a

variety of topics and in a variety of situations(e.g., work in a group to plan and organize aclass trip, to dramatize events from stories andnovels studied in class, and/or to negotiate solu-tions to tasks and problems)

Using Conversational Strategies2.2 use a wide variety of conversational expressions

to negotiate spoken interactions of many dif-ferent types (e.g., accept and reject informationusing expressions such as “I thought so”, “I knewit”, “I don’t see it that way”, “I’m not sure aboutthat”; close a formal conversation or job interviewusing expressions such as “Thank you for yourtime”, “I really appreciate ...”)

Speaking for Academic Purposes2.3 present ideas and information orally for aca-

demic purposes in a wide variety of situations(e.g., make a presentation on the rights andresponsibilities of Canadian citizenship, with reference to the Canadian Charter of Rights andFreedoms; interview an expert or an eyewitness in preparation for writing a news article)

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures of

spoken English appropriate for this level (seethe Language Reference Chart for ELD Level 5 on pages 172–173)

Teacher prompt: “Should there be an articlebefore this noun? Why or why not?”

3. Developing Accuracy in Speaking

2. Developing Fluency in Speaking

1. Developing ListeningComprehension

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LISTENING AND SPEAKING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English for a variety of purposes;

2. use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes;

3. use correctly the language structures appropriate for this level to communicate orally in English.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Sound Patterns3.2 use appropriately a wide variety of pronunci-

ation, stress, rhythm, and intonation patternsof spoken English to communicate bothexplicit and implicit meaning accurately (e.g.,stress the content words in a sentence to clarifymeaning [I read the book last night]; use pitchand volume appropriately to indicate emphasisand/or emotions [surprise, joy, annoyance]; usetone and volume to clarify implied messages inrap lyrics)

Communication Strategies3.3 use a wide variety of oral communication

strategies to bridge gaps in spoken commu-nication (e.g., notice and correct slips and errors;anticipate misunderstandings and rephrase toavoid or correct them; use circumlocution and paraphrase to compensate for incomplete know-ledge of vocabulary and grammar)

Teacher prompt: “If you don’t know theword(s) for something, what strategies canyou use to help get your meaning across?”

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By the end of this course, students will:

Reading a Variety of Texts1.1 read a wide variety of increasingly complex

texts (e.g., novels, magazine articles, manuals,online and print encyclopaedias, textbook excerpts,informational books on a range of topics)

Demonstrating Understanding1.2 demonstrate an understanding of complex

texts in a wide variety of ways (e.g., follow aseries of instructions to set up a DVD player;summarize a report about the impact of humanactivity on aquatic systems; describe how theywould “counsel” a character in a novel)

Responding to and Evaluating Texts1.3 respond to more complex texts in a variety

of ways (e.g., identify what is fact and what isopinion in newspaper, online, or magazine arti-cles; explain what they would change in anauthor’s treatment of a particular topic; identify a favourite passage in a text and explain whatthey like about it)

Text Forms1.4 analyse a wide variety of text forms to iden-

tify key characteristics, and explain how theyhelp to communicate meaning (e.g., illustrationsin a “how-to” manual help clarify instructions;captions in photo essays clarify or highlight themessage of the pictures; numbered points in anoverview or summary identify key information)

Teacher prompt: “How does the organization-al pattern in this manual make it easy for youto locate the information you need?”

Literary Elements1.5 identify a wide variety of literary elements in

short stories, novels, and poems, and explainhow they help convey the author’s meaning(e.g., explain why they think an author uses afirst-person or a third-person narrator; explainhow setting, plot, and character help illustrate the theme in a short story)

By the end of this course, students will:

Reading Strategies2.1 apply a wide variety of appropriate reading

strategies to:

• familiarize themselves with texts before theyread them (e.g., independently generate a list ofquestions about the topic; brainstorm the topicwith a partner to activate prior knowledge; pre-view text features to understand organization)

• understand texts while they are reading them(e.g., interpret context clues; use visualization toclarify details of characters, scenes, or concepts;monitor understanding by identifying andrestating the main idea and supporting details;summarize sections of text during reading; makeinferences about a character’s motivation)

• confirm and extend understanding of textsafter they have read them (e.g., do furtherresearch to deepen understanding of a topic;identify bias; participate in school reading clubs)

Teacher prompt: “What questions do you askyourself after reading to check whether youhave understood?”

2. Using Reading ComprehensionStrategies

1. Reading for Meaning

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READING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts for different purposes;

2. use a variety of reading strategies throughout the reading process to extract meaning from texts;

3. use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary;

4. locate and extract relevant information from written and graphic texts for a variety of purposes.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Text Features2.2 use specific features of a wide variety of texts

to locate information and aid comprehension(e.g., graphics, questions, summaries, footnotes/endnotes, reference lists / works cited, back covers of novels)

Connecting Devices2.3 identify a wide variety of connecting devices

and transition words and phrases, and explainhow they show relationships among ideas intexts (e.g., either … or, neither … nor, both …and, as … as, although, as a result of)

Grammatical Structures2.4 demonstrate an understanding of the gramma-

tical structures of English and conventions ofprint used in texts appropriate for this level(see the Language Reference Chart for ELDLevel 5 on pages 172–173)

By the end of this course, students will:

Vocabulary Building Strategies3.1 use a wide variety of vocabulary acquisition

strategies to build subject-specific vocabularyand determine the meaning of unfamiliarwords (e.g., compare multiple definitions found in a dictionary and select the correct meaning for a particular context; compile subject-specificglossaries; create lists of synonyms)

Word Recognition Strategies3.2 use knowledge of a variety of patterns of word

structure and derivation to determine themeaning of unfamiliar words (e.g., recognizechanges of meaning caused by suffixes that differ-entiate parts of speech [photograph, photographer,

photographic]; recognize root words with Latinand Greek origins used in science, mathematics,and technology [milli = thousand: millimetre =a thousandth of a metre; micro = small: micro-scope = an optical instrument for viewing verysmall objects])

Use of Resources3.3 use a wide variety of resources to extend vo-

cabulary and determine the precise meaning ofwords (e.g., select among a range of vocabularyresources, such as dictionaries, glossaries, manuals,online references, and technical dictionaries)

By the end of this course, students will:

Locating Information4.1 locate and compare information for independ-

ent research from a variety of school and com-munity sources selected in collaboration withthe teacher-librarian, and cite informationfrom those sources appropriately (e.g., articles,non-fiction books, encyclopaedias, websites,DVDs, blogs)

Extracting and Organizing Information4.2 select information and organize it effectively

for a wide variety of purposes (e.g., use agraphic organizer to identify the basic rights in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms;compare cultural practices of diverse groups using a T-chart or Venn diagram)

Critical Thinking4.3 compare a wide variety of sources of informa-

tion to evaluate their reliability (e.g., websites,newspapers, tabloids, blogs)

3. Developing Vocabulary

4. Developing Research Skills

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By the end of this course, students will:

Academic Purposes1.1 write longer and more complex texts to con-

vey information and ideas for academic pur-poses using a wide variety of forms (e.g., aseries of linked paragraphs synthesizing informa-tion from an independent research project aboutthe changing role of technology; a news reportusing the five-W’s format; a mystery story usingthe structures and conventions of the genre; areport outlining the steps in a science experiment)

Personal Purposes1.2 write longer and more complex texts to express

ideas and feelings using a wide variety of forms(e.g., poems, song lyrics/raps, blogs, e-mails orletters, narratives, descriptions, journal entries)

Community and Workplace Purposes1.3 write longer and more complex texts to com-

municate information for official and personalpurposes using a wide variety of forms (e.g., a résumé and cover letter; an online purchaseagreement; a letter of complaint to a customerservice department; a letter to cancel a contract,service, or subscription)

By the end of this course, students will:

Organizing Ideas2.1 organize information to develop a central idea

in a structured composition of three or moreparagraphs (e.g., use a graphic organizer to mapcause-and-effect relationships for a report aboutan endangered species; use the five-W’s formatin a newspaper article about a real or imaginarycommunity event)

Teacher prompt: “Are there any key ideas thatare missing or that need more explanation?”

Linking Ideas2.2 use a wide variety of connecting devices and

transition words and phrases to show rela-tionships between ideas in linked sentencesand paragraphs (e.g., now that, as a result of,because of, although, even though)

By the end of this course, students will:

Grammatical Structures and Conventions of Print3.1 use correctly the grammatical structures and

print conventions of written English appro-priate for this level (see the Language ReferenceChart for ELD Level 5 on pages 172–173)

3. Developing Accuracy in Writing

2. Organizing Ideas in Writing1. Writing for Different Purposes

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WRITING

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. write in a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences;

2. organize ideas coherently in writing;

3. use correctly the conventions of written English appropriate for this level, including grammar, usage,spelling, and punctuation;

4. use the stages of the writing process.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Spelling Strategies3.2 use a wide variety of spelling strategies to

spell words accurately (e.g., divide words intosyllables; consult specialized print and electronicdictionaries; use electronic spell-checkers; recorddifficult words in a spelling list or journal, high-lighting tricky letters or groups of letters)

By the end of this course, students will:

Using Pre-writing Strategies4.1 use a wide variety of pre-writing strategies to

generate vocabulary and develop and organ-ize ideas for writing (e.g., consider purpose andaudience in choosing a form for writing; generateideas using webs, discussions with peers and theteacher, and prior reading and experience; clusterand sort ideas and information; consult the teacher-librarian about relevant print and electronicresource materials)

Producing Drafts4.2 produce draft pieces of writing using a wide

variety of strategies and models (e.g., a varietyof graphic organizers, jot-notes made while read-ing, student exemplars or authentic texts)

Teacher prompt: “What are some strategieswriters use to convince the reader? Can youuse these strategies in your own writing?”

Revising and Editing4.3 revise, edit, and proofread drafts using a wide

variety of strategies (e.g., reread for clarity andorganization of ideas; use print and electronicresources to confirm spelling; vary word choicethrough the use of a thesaurus; review draftswith the teacher and peers, and explain how apiece of writing has evolved)

Teacher prompt: “Explain how your diction-ary and thesaurus helped you with yourrevisions.”

Publishing4.4 use a wide variety of elements of effective

presentation to publish a final product (e.g., a cast list and drama dialogue format for a play,a table of contents for a handbook or manual, abrief glossary of terms for an essay about newtechnology, computer-generated graphs andcharts for a science report)

Metacognition4.5 select and use a wide variety of writing strat-

egies before, during, and after writing, andreflect after writing on the strategies theyfound most helpful (e.g., use a reflection journalto explain thinking and identify strengths, areasfor improvement, and next steps; respond toteacher and peer questions about why they usedcertain strategies more often than others)

Teacher prompt: “In what way does reading a variety of texts help you in your writing?”

4. Using the Writing Process

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By the end of this course, students will:

Register 1.1 determine and use the appropriate language

register in a wide variety of social, classroom,and workplace contexts (e.g., “Huh?” to peersversus “I don’t understand” to a teacher; “Joe” to aco-worker versus “Mr. Baca” to a customer orsupervisor; “May I speak to / I’d like to speak toMs. Starsky” when phoning for an employmentinterview versus “Is Sabina there?” when phon-ing a friend; “Okay, guys” when addressing aclass project team versus “My fellow students”when giving a campaign speech for election tothe Student Council)

Teacher prompt: “What are some of theexpressions you have heard when listeningto your classmates begin presentations?”

Non-verbal Communication1.2 identify non-verbal communication cues that

are appropriate or inappropriate in a widevariety of social, academic, and workplace situations, and adjust their behaviour to suitthe particular occasion (e.g., role play scenariosrequiring formal and informal behaviour, anddetermine what behaviour is appropriate in each case)

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge About Canada2.1 demonstrate knowledge of a variety of signi-

ficant facts about Canadian history and culture(e.g., identify contributions of Aboriginal indivi-duals to Canada; describe the early settlementpatterns and contributions of significant groupsand individuals in New France and in BritishNorth America)

Canadian Citizenship2.2 demonstrate knowledge of important social

and political documents that guarantee rightsand freedoms in Canadian society (e.g., iden-tify the basic rights specified in the CanadianCharter of Rights and Freedoms, the OntarioHuman Rights Code, school board equity policies)

Canadian Diversity2.3 describe some benefits and challenges of living

in a society composed of diverse linguisticand cultural groups (e.g., the effects of main-taining or not maintaining particular forms ofdress in certain cultures; the effects of accommo-dating or not accommodating various religiouspractices or traditions at school and work)

2. Developing Awareness of Canada,Citizenship, and Diversity

1. Using English in Socially andCulturally Appropriate Ways

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SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND MEDIA LITERACY

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS By the end of this course, students will:

1. use English and non-verbal communication strategies appropriately in a variety of social contexts;

2. demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and of the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society;

3. demonstrate knowledge of and adaptation to the Ontario education system;

4. demonstrate an understanding of, interpret, and create a variety of media texts.

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

By the end of this course, students will:

Knowledge of the Ontario Secondary SchoolSystem3.1 describe graduation requirements of the Ontario

secondary school system and support servicesthat are available to help them achieve theirgoals (e.g., graduation requirements and relatedcomponents, such as compulsory credit, tran-script, full-disclosure requirements, the literacytest, diploma requirements for communityinvolvement activities, the Specialist High-SkillsMajor program, criteria for earning a diploma orcertificate of achievement; services to assist withplanning and goal-setting for postsecondary life)

Study Skills and Strategies3.2 use a wide variety of study and time-

management skills effectively to carry outlearning tasks, and explain their relevance tofuture academic and career plans (e.g., managetime efficiently; plan work and complete tasks satisfactorily; use technology appropriately)

Teacher prompt: “Describe a situation at workor home where it would help you to break atask down into manageable segments.”

Strategies for the Cooperative Classroom3.3 participate and interact effectively, and take

on leadership responsibilities to complete collaborative classroom projects (e.g., listenactively; clarify directions; share ideas; planwork and delegate tasks; offer constructive criticism)

Knowledge of School and Community Resources3.4 identify and explain the purpose of a wide

variety of school and community resourcesthat are available to support lifelong learning,and use them appropriately to implementtheir educational and career plans (e.g.,Independent Learning Centre, career counsellingcentres, the Ontario Skills Passport, cooperativeeducation and apprenticeship opportunities, postsecondary education guides)

By the end of this course, students will:

Understanding Media Texts4.1 view, read, and listen to media texts, and

identify strategies used in them to influencespecific audiences (e.g., youth-oriented music,celebrity endorsements, visual images)

Teacher prompt: “What message on the pack-aging made you want to buy this videogame?”

Interpreting Media Texts4.2 compare a variety of media texts, and evaluate

them for balance, inclusiveness, and possiblebias (e.g., media texts representing people of dif-ferent ages, genders, income levels, and ethno-cultural backgrounds; news reports of a conflictthat present single or multiple points of view)

Teacher prompt: “What different groups doyou see in this media text? Does the text treatthem differently? If so, how and why?”

Creating Media Texts4.3 create media texts for a wide variety of audi-

ences and purposes, and explain their contentand design decisions (e.g., create a T-shirt logoand slogan for a school-wide information cam-paign; compile a collection of symbols found in traditional and contemporary art forms of specific Aboriginal groups)

3. Adapting to School Life in Ontario 4. Developing Media Knowledge and Skills

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This chart shows the structures students are expected to learn through work done in all four strands. Thesestructures should be taught in context rather than in isolation (e.g., while practising writing advice lettersfor a class assignment, students learn to use the type 2/unlikely conditional verb tense). English languagelearners in the ELD program need reinforcement and repetition of language structures from previouscourse levels in order to achieve mastery.

I. Grammatical Structures

Language Reference Chart – ELD Level 5

Nouns abstract (e.g., advice, information, beauty, knowledge, philosophy, democracy) + a,an, no article (e.g., He had a good knowledge of math. He had knowledge aboutmany things.)

Pronouns relative: who, which, that, whose

reciprocal: each other

Verbs past perfect (e.g., They had studied English before they arrived in Canada.)

present perfect progressive (e.g., What have you been doing?)

conditional: type 2/unlikely (e.g., If I had a million dollars, I would buy a largehouse.)

consistent use of tenses (e.g., maintain the same verb tense in a sentence orparagraph)

Adjectives the + adjective (e.g., the most common)

irregular comparative/superlative (e.g., far/farther/farthest; bad, worse, worst;good, better, best; little, less, least)

adjective phrases (e.g., The man in the red hat lives close to me.)

Adverbs of possibility (e.g., probably, definitely, possibly)

of opinion (e.g., obviously, clearly)

Transition wordsand phrases

either … or, neither … nor, both … and

as … as (e.g., My plans are as important as hers.)

now that, though, although, even though, yet, since, because of, as a result of

Question forms tag questions (e.g., They couldn’t understand him, could they? Ann is studyingmusic, isn’t she?)

information requests + various tenses (e.g., When were they leaving on vacation?How have you been?)

Negation with various tenses and/or modals (e.g., They couldn’t have finished already! Wehaven’t been going to the gym recently.)

with unless (e.g., Unless you have a permit, you can’t drive.)

Prepositions with a variety of phrasal verbs (e.g., break down/up/out, call for/in/on, cutdown/in/off/out/up, fall back/behind/in/out/through)

by + gerund (e.g., I did well on the math test by memorizing all the formulas.)

during, following, regarding

Sentences complex, with subordinate clause (e.g., Because we were stuck in traffic, the girlon the bike arrived ahead of us.)

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II. Conventions of Print

Punctuation hyphen

colon, semi-colon

apostrophe

quotation marks

parentheses

ellipses

GLOSSARY

Aboriginal person. A person who is adescendant of the original inhabitants of North America. The CanadianConstitution (1982) recognizes three primary groups as Aboriginal peoples:Indians, Inuit, and Métis.

academic language. A style of languageincorporating technical and specializedterms and used to communicate for academic purposes.

acculturation process. The process of cultural adjustment that newcomersexperience when they arrive in a newcountry. Four stages have been identifiedin this process. During the first stage, initial enthusiasm, newcomers may feelexcitement and optimism about the newcountry and the new opportunities itpresents, combined with some anxietyabout the future. During the secondstage, culture shock, newcomers mayexperience confusion, misunderstandings,depression, and isolation, and as a resultmay demonstrate withdrawal and avoidcontact with the mainstream culture.During the third stage, recovery, new-comers may feel less anxious, showrenewed optimism and more constructiveattitudes, and try out new behavioursassociated with their adopted culture.During the fourth stage, acculturation/integration, newcomers may feel that

their emotional equilibrium is restoredand become able to value both their ownculture and that of their adopted country.

achievement levels. Brief descriptions of four different degrees of studentachievement of the provincial curriculumexpectations for any given course. Level 3,which is the “provincial standard”, identifies a high level of achievement ofthe provincial expectations. Parents ofstudents achieving at level 3 in a particu-lar course can be confident that their children will be prepared for work in thenext course. Level 1 identifies achieve-ment that falls much below the provincialstandard. Level 2 identifies achievementthat approaches the standard. Level 4indicates achievement that surpasses the standard.

adapted text. A text that has been rewrit-ten so that the reading level is easier andstudents can more easily make connectionsto prior knowledge and determine mean-ing. Adaptations to the text may includesimplifying and/or defining relevantvocabulary, using short, relatively simplesentences, and maintaining a consistentformat (e.g., a topic sentence followed byseveral sentences providing supportingdetails all of which are relevant to thecontent).

The following definitions and lists of examples are intended to help teachers and parentsuse this document. It should be noted that the examples provided are suggestions and arenot meant to be exhaustive.

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audience. The intended readers, listeners,or viewers for a particular text.

authentic text. A text that has not beensimplified or adapted for English languagelearners. See also authentic English.

authentic English. English that is notmanipulated or revised to make it easierto understand. The language used dailyby first-language speakers includes idioms,hesitations, incomplete sentences, impliedmeanings, and culturally specific references.

authentic language task. A languagelearning task that involves using languageto communicate a message and/or accom-plish a purpose in a real-world situation.

background knowledge. The backgroundexperience and knowledge that a studentbrings to classroom learning. Sometimesreferred to as prior knowledge.

barrier game. A language learning game,usually played in pairs, in which eachplayer has different information that bothneed in order to solve a problem. A phy-sical barrier between the players is usedto prevent them from seeing each other’sinformation. Players must ask each otherand respond to questions to bridge the“information gap” and solve the problem.

basic interpersonal communication skills(BICS). Face-to-face language skills usedin everyday communication – listening,speaking, carrying on basic conversations,and getting one’s basic needs met. Englishlanguage learners typically acquire basicinterpersonal communication skills beforethey develop proficiency in more complex,academic language.

biculturalism. The ability to understandequally well, and follow, the culturalrules and norms of two different culturalsystems.

bilingual. Able to function equally well intwo different languages.

bilingual dictionary. A two-languagetranslation dictionary (e.g., English –French) in which the learner can look upa word in one language and find itsequivalent in the other.

blog. A short form for Web log. An onlineforum where people share personal jour-nal entries, opinion articles, and/or photo-graphs with others on a regular basis.

cognitive academic language proficiency(CALP). Language proficiency associatedwith schooling and the abstract languageabilities required for academic work. Amore complex, conceptual, linguistic ability than conversational language,CALP includes facility in analysis, syn-thesis, and evaluation. English languagelearners need at least five years to developcognitive academic language proficiencyin English.

choral reading. A group recitation of astory or poem, intended to help studentsgain confidence in reading.

circumlocution. A communication strategyused by English language learners whenthey do not know or remember a particu-lar word. To get their meaning across,learners may define or describe the item,give examples, or cite characteristics ofthe item.

citizenship. The condition of being vestedwith the rights, duties, and responsibilitiesof a member of a state or nation.

cloze passage. A passage of text with somewords omitted (e.g., Canada’s mineralresources include nickel, copper, and _____).Students complete cloze passages todemonstrate reading comprehension,knowledge of the subject matter, and pro-ficiency with specific items of grammar,vocabulary, or spelling.

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cognate. A word related to another wordin origin and/or meaning (e.g., Englishschool and scholar; English school andSpanish escuela).

coherence. A text possesses coherencewhen its ideas, argument, or exchangesare presented in a logical, orderly, andconsistent manner.

communication strategies. Strategies thatare used to convey and interpret messagesin a second language when there is inade-quate knowledge of vocabulary or rules togovern the exchange. See, for example, circumlocution.

communicative approach. An approach to second-language teaching in which realcommunication is emphasized and gram-mar is learned inductively from examplesthat occur naturally in the context.

communicative competence. The ability to comprehend and produce fluent andappropriate language in all communica-tive settings.

comprehensible input. Language that ismade comprehensible to the learnerthrough the use of visual aids, familiarcontent, rephrasing, repetition, and so on.

comprehension. The ability to understandand draw meaning from spoken, written,and visual communications in all media.

comprehension strategies. A variety ofcognitive and systematic techniques thatstudents use before, during, and after lis-tening, reading, and viewing to constructmeaning from texts. Examples include:making connections to prior knowledgeand to familiar texts, questioning, findingmain ideas, summarizing information,inferring, analysing, synthesizing.

concept map. A graphic organizer stu-dents can use to explore knowledge andgather and share information and ideas.Features of concept maps may includevarious shapes and labels, as well as arrowsand other links to show relationshipsbetween ideas.

concepts of print. Concepts related to theway language is conveyed in print thatare necessary for reading readiness. Printconcepts include directionality (English-language text is read from left to right andfrom top to bottom), the difference betweenletters and words (letters are symbols thatrepresent sounds; words are made up ofletters; there are spaces between words),the use of capitalization and punctuation,and the common characteristics of books(title, author, front/back).

connective device. A graphic signal, word,or phrase that links or shows relationshipsbetween ideas.

consonant cluster. A group of two or moreconsonant sounds that occur together(e.g., /str/ in stripe).

content words. Words such as nouns, verbs,and adjectives that convey the meaning ofa sentence.

content-based language instruction. Aninstructional approach in which topicsrelated to curriculum content are used asthe vehicle for second-language learning.These topics are often delivered throughthematic units. Students thus acquireimportant curriculum-based knowledgeand skills at the same time as they learn language.

conventions. Accepted practices or rulesin the use of language. In the case of writtenor printed materials, some conventions

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help convey meaning (e.g., punctuation,typefaces, capital letters) and other con-ventions aid in the presentation of content(e.g., table of contents, headings, footnotes,charts, captions, lists, pictures, index). Seealso text features.

critical literacy. The capacity for a partic-ular type of critical thinking that involveslooking beyond the literal meaning oftexts to observe what is present and whatis missing, in order to analyse and evalu-ate the text’s complete meaning and theauthor’s intent. Critical literacy goesbeyond conventional critical thinking infocusing on issues related to fairness, equity,and social justice.

critical thinking. The process of thinkingabout ideas or situations in order tounderstand them fully, identify theirimplications, and/or make a judgementabout what is sensible or reasonable tobelieve or do. Critical-thinking skills usedin reading and writing include: examiningopinions, questioning ideas, detecting bias,and making and supporting judgements.

cueing systems. Cues or clues that effectivereaders use in combination to read unfa-miliar words, phrases, and sentences andconstruct meaning from print. Semantic(meaning) cues help readers guess or pre-dict the meaning of words, phrases, orsentences on the basis of context and priorknowledge. Semantic cues may includevisuals. Syntactic (structural) cues helpreaders make sense of text using knowl-edge of the patterned ways in which wordsin a language are combined into phrases,clauses, and sentences. Graphophonic(phonological and graphic) cues helpreaders to decode unknown words usingknowledge of letter or sound relationships,word patterns, and words recognized bysight. See also syntax.

culture. The way in which people live, think,and define themselves as a community.

dialect. The form of a language peculiarto a specific region or to characteristicssuch as social class or education level. Adialect features variations in vocabulary,grammar, and pronunciation.

dictogloss. An activity in which a shorttext is read aloud at normal speed to stu-dents. The students take down the keywords and then attempt to reconstructthe passage from their general under-standing of the gist of the text and fromtheir notes. The task of reconstructing thetext in their own words requires studentsto focus consciously on their knowledgeof the content and the relationshipbetween ideas and words. The activityalso involves small-group interactionwherein students pool their key wordsand understanding to complete the task.

diversity. In reference to a society, thevariety of groups of people who share arange of commonly recognized physical,cultural, or social characteristics. Categoriesof groups may be based on various factorsor characteristics, such as gender, race, cul-ture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability/disability, age, religion, and socio-economiccircumstances.

editing. The making of changes to draftsto correct grammatical, punctuation, andspelling errors, and generally ensure thatthe writing is correct. See also writingprocess.

environmental print. Written textsencountered in the everyday environ-ment, such as labels, signs, billboards,sandwich boards, product logos, andpackaging.

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fishbone map. A graphic organizer thatuses framing questions to show the causalrelationships involved in a complex event.Framing questions might include: “Whatare the factors that cause X? How do theyrelate to one another?”

flow chart. A diagram showing a sequenceof events, actions, or steps in a process(e.g., the sequence of events in a shortstory).

forms of informational texts. Examplesinclude: textbook, report, essay, theatre orconcert program, book review, editorial,newspaper or magazine article, televisionor radio script, letter (business or personal),invitation, manual, biography, résumé,brochure, reference book, encyclopaedia.

forms of literary texts. Examples include:story, short story, myth, legend, folk tale,poem, ballad, novel, play, script, picturebook, graphic novel.

forms of media texts. Examples include:advertisement, e-mail, film, video, DVD,stop-motion animation film, clothing, athletic wear, food packaging, newspaper,magazine, brochure, movie trailer, edito-rial, song, sports program, documentary,travelogue, television commercial, cartoon,web page, interactive software, database,blog.

forms of writing. Examples include: storyor other narrative piece, anecdote, com-mentary, critical review, description,instructions or procedures, recount (per-sonal or informational), transcription ofan interview, announcement, argument,position paper, essay, research report,television or radio script, editorial, speech,letter, minutes of a meeting, notes, jottings,poem, song text, dialogue, label, supportedopinion, summary, cartoon caption, log,diary, memoir, journal, riddle, script for a commercial, advertisement, list, survey,word web, chart.

four corners activity. An activity in which students are asked to respond to a strongor controversial statement. The four cornersof the room are labelled with four pointsof view (e.g., “Agree”, “Disagree”,“Strongly Agree”, “Strongly Disagree”).Students are asked to go to the corner ofthe room that corresponds to their opinionof or reaction to the statement. Studentsare given time to talk and to prepare acase to persuade their classmates to jointheir corner. They choose a spokespersonto explain their reason for choosing thatcorner. Time may be given after the fourpresentations for questioning or challeng-ing other groups. Students are then askedto move to a new corner if they wereswayed by another group’s presentation.

graded reader. Books that are graded byvocabulary level and complexity of sen-tence structure (e.g., a graded reader atthe level of the 1,000 most commonwords in English).

graphic organizer. A visual framework(e.g., a flow chart, a Venn diagram, aword web) that helps students organize,analyse, synthesize, and assess informa-tion and ideas. Sometimes referred to as a “key visual”. See also concept map, flow chart, fishbone map, T-chart, Venn diagram, word web.

graphophonics. The study of the relation-ships between the symbols and sounds ofa language and the visual information onthe page.

guided reading. A reading process in whichthe teacher guides students through a text,using a series of structured activities before,during, and after reading.

higher-order thinking. The process ofmentally manipulating and transforminginformation and ideas in order to solveproblems, acquire understanding, anddiscover new meaning. Higher-order

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thinking skills include: focusing, informa-tion gathering, combining facts and ideas,organizing, analysing, synthesizing, generalizing, integrating, explaining,hypothesizing, interpreting, evaluating,drawing conclusions.

idiom. A group of words that, throughusage, has taken on a special meaning different from the literal meaning (e.g., “A new magazine hit the newsstands.” or“She’s dancing up a storm.”)

inclusive language. Language that is equi-table in its reference to people, therebyavoiding stereotypes and discriminatoryassumptions (e.g., fire fighter includes bothmales and females, whereas fireman refersonly to males).

intonation. The rise and fall of the pitchof the voice in speaking. Intonation isused to communicate information addi-tional to the meaning conveyed by wordsalone (e.g., a rising intonation at the endof a sentence indicates a question).

jigsaw activity. A collaborative learningactivity in which individuals or groups ofstudents read or listen to specific sectionsof a text and then come together to sharetheir information.

K-W-L. A learning activity that helps stu-dents draw on background knowledgebefore reading and focus on and retainspecific information during and afterreading. Prior to reading about a topic,with teacher assistance, students identifywhat they know about the topic and whatthey want to know and record the informa-tion in the first two columns of a chart.After reading about the topic, studentsrecord what they learned in the third column of the chart.

language-experience approach. A methodof promoting reading in which the teacherbegins with the experiences the students

bring to class (or have together) and thenworks with the students to compose storiesin the students’ own words. The storiesmay then be used in a variety of ways todevelop reading and oral skills.

language-learning strategies. Strategiesthat learners use to assist in the acquisitionof a second language. Examples include:memorizing, visualizing, organizing andclassifying vocabulary, monitoring speech,seeking opportunities to practise.

learner dictionary. A dictionary producedspecifically for second-language learners,containing extra features such as illustra-tive sentences and information about thegrammatical features and language stylesassociated with specific words.

learning strategies. Planned methods ortechniques for facilitating and enhancinglearning (e.g., memorization techniquesfor assimilating material; cognitive tech-niques for making purposeful associationsamong ideas; social techniques for inter-acting with peers).

learning log. A journal in which studentsreflect on their learning, and on the strate-gies and skills that help them learn in particular situations.

literary device. A particular pattern ofwords, a figure of speech, or a techniqueused in literature to produce a specificeffect. Examples include: rhyme, analogy,comparison, contrast, irony, foreshadowing,allusion, simile, metaphor, personification,hyperbole, symbolism.

literature circle. A book discussion formatdesigned to promote reading. In a literaturecircle, students independently read thesame book (or different titles by the sameauthor or books with a common theme)and then come together to discuss ele-ments of the book(s).

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media literacy. An informed and criticalunderstanding of the nature of the media,the techniques used by them, and theimpact of these techniques. Also, the ability to understand and use the massmedia in an active critical way.

metacognition. The process of thinkingabout one’s own thought processes.Metacognitive skills include the ability to monitor and reflect on one’s ownlearning.

mind map. A graphic representationshowing the relationships between ideasand/or information. In making a mindmap, students summarize informationfrom a text and organize it by listing,sorting, or sequencing it, or by linkinginformation and/or ideas.

minimal pair. A pair of words in whichthe only sound difference is the soundbeing practised. Examples: sit/seat,live/leave. These pairs are used for isolat-ing and practising particular sounds thatmay be challenging for second-languagelearners.

mnemonic device. A way of representinginformation that makes it easier toremember (e.g., an acronym or word inwhich each letter stands for one step in aprocess as a way of helping a learner toremember the steps in the proper order).“Mnemonic” derives from the Greekword mnemon, meaning “mindful”.

non-verbal communication (non-verbalcues). Communication by the use of ges-tures, eye contact, body movement, facialexpressions, physical proximity, touching,and pauses during speech.

Ontario Skills Passport (OSP). A bilin-gual, Web-based resource that providesclear descriptions of the skills and workhabits required for success in the work-place. The skills identified in the OSP aretransferable from school to work, from

job to job, and from sector to sector. Thisresource is available for use by students,teachers, employers, and job-seekers athttp://skills.edu.gov.on.ca.

orthography. The study of spelling and ofthe way in which letters are combined torepresent sounds and make words.

pattern book. A book that contains textwith predictable and/or repetitive lan-guage patterns.

phoneme. The smallest unit of sound inspoken language that makes the meaningof one word different from another. Aphoneme may be represented by morethan one letter (e.g., ch in check).

phonemic awareness. The ability to hear,identify, and manipulate phonemes inspoken words.

phonics. Instruction in how the letters(graphemes) of written language arerelated to the individual sounds(phonemes) of spoken language.

picture dictionary. A dictionary for lan-guage learners in which entry words areaccompanied by illustrations or photo-graphs to clarify their meaning.

portfolio. A collection of self-selected student work chosen to demonstrate thestudent’s efforts, progress, and achieve-ment over time.

proofreading. The careful reading of a finaldraft of written work to eliminate typo-graphical errors and to correct errors ingrammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation.See also writing process.

reader’s theatre. An instructional activityin which students: adopt the roles of dif-ferent characters and of a narrator to reada text; or develop scripts based on familiartexts, practise their parts, and then presenttheir rehearsed reading to others.

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reading strategies. Approaches usedbefore, during, and after reading to figureout unfamiliar words, determine meaning,and increase understanding of a text.Examples include comprehension strategiesand word-recognition strategies, includingthe use of cueing systems. Good readersuse a combination of word-recognitionand comprehension strategies, whilemaintaining a focus on developing anddeepening their understanding of a text.See also comprehension strategies.

realia. Real-life objects and artefacts usedto supplement teaching. They can provideeffective visual scaffolds for English lan-guage learners. See also visual aid.

register. A style of language (e.g., formal,colloquial) appropriate to a specific audi-ence, purpose, or situation. Register isdetermined by the level of formality in aparticular social setting, the relationshipamong the individuals involved in thecommunication, and the purpose of theinteraction.

revising. The process of making changesto the content, structure, and wording ofa draft to add or remove information, correct errors of fact, improve the organiza-tion of ideas, eliminate awkward phrasing,and generally ensure that the writing isclear and coherent. See also writing process.

rhythm. The pattern of sound created bythe stressed syllables in a sentence.

scaffolding. Teacher support for studentlearning and performance that mayinclude building on prior knowledge,modelling, questioning, feedback, provid-ing graphic organizers, and supplyingexemplars. Support is gradually withdrawnas students develop the ability to applynewly learned skills and knowledge independently.

scribing. Writing down verbatim thewords dictated by a student.

sentence patterns. The characteristicgrammatical structures or patterns ofEnglish that influence such things as wordorder and the use of prefixes, suffixes,prepositions, articles, and auxiliary verbs(e.g., to form questions and negatives: Do you speak English?; I don’t eat hot dogs.).

sight words. Words that can be recognizedor read as a whole unit without soundingthem out letter by letter or syllable by syllable.

socio-cultural competence. The ability tofunction appropriately in a particularsocial or cultural context according to therules and expectations for behaviour heldby members of that social or culturalgroup.

standard Canadian English. Oral andwritten English that follows acceptedrules and practices of grammar, usage,spelling, and punctuation and that isused across a broad spectrum ofCanadian society (e.g., in government,educational, medical, legal, scientific,business, and media communications).

stress. Emphasis on specific syllables in a word or specific words in a sentencewhen speaking. Stress is an importantcomponent of pronunciation and con-tributes to meaning. See also intonation,rhythm.

student-teacher conference. A teacher’splanned dialogue with an individual stu-dent about the student’s learning. Confer-ences offer teachers opportunities to get toknow their students’ strengths and thechallenges they face in relation to specificlearning expectations; to monitor theirprogress; and to plan future instructionbased on individual identified needs andinterests.

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subject-specific vocabulary. Vocabularyspecific to or most often used in the context of a particular school subject (e.g., equation, axis, and correlate belong to the subject-specific vocabulary ofmathematics).

syntax. The predictable structure of a lan-guage and the ways in which words arecombined to form phrases, clauses, andsentences. Syntax includes classes ofwords (e.g., nouns, verbs, adjectives) andtheir functions (e.g., subject, object). Seealso cueing systems.

T-chart. A chart that has been dividedinto two columns, so that the dividerlooks like the letter T. T-charts are used tocompare and contrast information and toanalyse similarities and differences.

text. A means of communication that uses words, graphics, sounds, and/orimages, in print, oral, visual, or electronicform, to present information and ideas toan audience.

text features. The physical or design char-acteristics of a text that clarify and/orgive support to the meaning in the text(e.g., title, headings, subheadings, boldand italic fonts, illustrations). See alsoconventions.

text form. A category or type of text thathas certain defining characteristics. Theconcept of text forms provides a way forreaders and writers to think about thepurpose of a text and its intended audience.

think-aloud. An activity in which theteacher (or sometimes a student) describesaloud the thinking process as he or shereads, writes, or solves problems.

think/pair/share. An instructional strategyin which students individually consideran issue or problem and then discuss theirideas with a partner.

tone. A manner of speaking, writing, or creating that reveals the speaker’s,author’s, or creator’s attitude towards a subject and/or audience.

transition words and phrases. Words andphrases that link and/or signal relation-ships between clauses, sentences, or para-graphs. For example, afterwards and in themeantime show relationships with respectto time; in comparison and on the other handshow relationships of similarity and difference.

varieties of English. Different forms ofEnglish used by particular groups ofEnglish speakers, including regional andsocial groups, and characterized by dis-tinct vocabularies, pronunciation patterns,and grammatical features.

Venn diagram. A graphic organizer inwhich sets of things are represented ascircles, with the shared characteristics of the sets located in the area where thecircles overlap.

visual aid. An object used to relate class-room teaching to real life (e.g., food,clothing, a photograph, an item fromschool or daily life). See also realia.

voice. The style or character of a piece ofwriting conveyed through the author’s useof vocabulary, sentence structure, imagery,rhythm, and other elements that contributeto the mood of the piece as a whole.

voiced consonant. A speech sound pro-duced with vibration of the vocal cords;for example, the consonant sound /b/.

voiceless consonant. A speech sound produced without vibration of the vocalcords; for example, the consonant sound /p/.

word pattern. A particular arrangementof components in a group of words thathave elements in common with respect tomeaning, syntax, spelling, and/or sound;

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for example, the formation of the pasttense in a group of verbs by adding thesuffix -ed to the verb root.

word-recognition strategies. Any of avariety of semantic, syntactic, or grapho-phonic strategies that help students readand understand a word. Examples include:decoding words; using knowledge of thestructure or meaning of words to readunfamiliar words; combining knowledgeof letter-sound relationships with cluesfrom an illustration to predict the word.

word wall. A list of words, groupedalphabetically (or sometimes thematically)and prominently displayed in the class-room, that teachers use to help studentsbecome familiar with high-frequencywords and new vocabulary.

word web. A graphic organizer that allowsthe user to explore and demonstrate con-ceptual links among ideas and information.Sometimes called a semantic web.

writing process. The process involved inproducing a polished piece of writing.The writing process comprises severalstages, each of which focuses on specifictasks. he main stages of the writingprocess are: planning for writing, drafting,revising, editing, proofreading, and pub-lishing. See also editing, proofreading,revising.

zine. A word, derived from magazine, thatdenotes an inexpensively produced, self-published publication. An e-zine is a zinethat is published electronically, especiallyon the Internet.

The Ministry of Education wishes to acknowledge the contribution of the many individuals, groups, andorganizations that participated in the development and refinement of this curriculum policy document.

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